Skinny
by Carbon65
Summary: Tina's sick. Everyone can see it. What happens when she and Artie are the only two who actually know whats wrong? How will Tina respond when a well intentioned by ill-informed New Directions intervened?
1. Chapter 1

_This was inspired by a thread on the Live Journal angst meme. Its not directly what the author wanted, but a slight variation thereof._

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Artie Abrams hugs his girlfriend close, and wonders when she had gotten so skinny. Oh, Tina has always been naturally slim, he reasons, but never skinny. And, she is skinny. On the rare occasions she takes her shirt off, Artie can make out the faint outline of her ribs. Her body seems to be regressing, too. Her breasts, never enormous, are retreating back into her body. Her hollow face makes her look like a tired little girl.

Quinn and Mercedes watch their friend eat, and run to the bathroom. Tina has always had a healthy appetite, but never eaten to excess. She is known for the occasional binge on lemon sorbet (lactose intolerance leads to a new world of frozen treats) or chocolate, but she has never over-eaten. Now, all Tina seems to want to do is eat, sleep, and spend time in the bathroom.

Kurt worries about Tina. She is the best person he knew with a nail polish brush, and can give foot rubs like nobody's business, as long as you wear socks. Tina has a weird thing about touching other people's feet. They meet twice a month to give each other pedicures. Its a small indulgence, but cheaper than going to a salon. Normally, Tina would go first, pulling off her striped socks to let Kurt see her healthy pink feet. He would work on her, then she would work on him. Lately, though, Tina is more and more reluctant to let Kurt see her feet. "I just did them," she will murmur quietly when ever he asks. Finally, though, he catches her without socks on. Tina's feet look dead. The heels are white and cracked. Her arches are ashy gray Her unpolished nails are purple-gray.

Brittany and Mike watch Tina try to dance. She was normally one of the best dancers in Glee. Lately, though, she's hardly been able to move. In class, the only time Tina moves quickly is when the bell rings for the end of the period. And, that's only because she's running to the girl's room and the water fountain. Sometimes, she goes during class, too. The rest of the time, she moves slowly and deliberately. She can barely keep her head up in class. Simple dance moves trip her up. Brittany wonders if Tina is tired from spending all her nights drinking blood.

Rachel listens, and hears the breaths in the middle of measures. Tina Cohen-Chang cannot control her breath. Rachel knows that the asian girl has not had the benefit of fifteen years of vocal training, but even a trained monkey can be convinced to breathe on cue. Just look at Noah Puckerman. Rachel isn't sure why Tina is suddenly interrupting their rehearsals with her loud breathing, but its making her crazy. And, if it continues much longer, Rachel will yell at the skinny girl.

Will Shuester has noticed that Tina Cohen-Chang has problems. He wonders if maybe she has an eating disorder. Emma Pillsbury trained the staff on the signs, and most of them are there. Tina just keeps loosing weight. She's swimming in her clothes. And, he's not sure he's ever seen her eat. Not once.

Puck wonders what happened to the hot Asian. Not Mike Chang, the _other_ hot Asian, but the girl. Finn barely talks to him, or anyone else. The Quarterback keeps trying to figure out why he can't pass Algebra. Santana is battling to remain the head cheerleader, despite Coach Sylvester's constant ragging. She knows that Brittany is worried about something, but the blond is known for worrying about stupid things. And, if Matt has noticed anything, or said anything to anyone, it would be news to the rest of the Glee Club. headline news.

Tina has noticed the gradual progression of the changes. No matter how much she eats, she's always hungry and she's constantly loosing weight. It felt amazing at first. She could eat whatever she wanted, and the fat would melt right off. Nothing would go to her hips, the location unwanted calories always seemed to sit. Now, though, its getting scary. She just keeps eating, but she's always hungry. The weight seems to dissolve into her urine. That's another thing, she's peeing all the time. She'll pee out gallons and gallons of water. It just seems to go right through her, and take the weight with it. Maybe her fat is becoming the white powdery stuff that floats on top of her pee. She wakes up in the middle of the night, two or three times, to go to the bathroom. And, it sucks, 'cause she's tired all the time. She could use the extra sleep, but she can't sleep until she's emptied her bladder, and wetted her dry, thirsty throat.

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_Please R & R! Thanks!_


	2. Chapter 2

Rachel finally takes matters into her own hands. She finds Tina asleep in the auditorium during their study hall period. Tina is _supposed_ to be practicing. Even asleep, Rachel notices that Tina's breathing is off. She watches as the black clad body shivers. The auditorium is, in Rachel's opinion, always too warm. The show choir queen finally notices how skinny her worker bee has gotten. Has Tina caved under the pressure?

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"We have a problem," Rachel says, surveying her troops called into the choir room for an emergency meeting. "I, for one, want to make sure we do everything in our power to correct it."

"Tina," Artie practically whispers the name into his gloves. "She's too skinny."

"White girl is right," Mercedes announces."Girlfriend is always in the bathroom after she eats."

"She doesn't have any energy to dance," Mike observes, surprising everyone.

Kurt sits quietly. He isn't sure he wants to share his weekly pedicure routine with the rest of the club.

"Chick looks like a skeleton," Puck complains. "I mean, I'm all for skinny girls, but there is such a thing as too skinny, and Asian's gone there."

"Bulimia is a dangerous cycle," Rachel warns. "Many stars in the making are afflicted by eating disorders. We must act quickly to prevent Tina from falling prey to its vicious consequences."

"We could stage an intervention," Kurt says, excitedly. "We should tell Tina how much we love her, and how she's hurting herself."

Artie tries to think of any other way to deal with the problem, but he comes up with nothing. Rachel seems excited at the prospect, maybe so she can practice her acting skills, he thinks uncharitably.

They agree on the intervention during their free period the next day. But, Tina doesn't come to school. She's absent the rest of the week, and no one in the Glee club can figure out where she's gone. If Mr. Shue or Ms. Pillsbury know, they're not saying. The Gleeks are left out of the loop, except Artie Abrams. He knows, but he's not saying anything either. He just hopes he can stop the "intervention" from getting out of hand.


	3. Chapter 3

Tina is happiest in her bed, asleep. Its nice to lay there, listening to the radio or her iPod. The radio is better, because she sets a sleep timer, and it turns off. She can't count the number of times that she's laid down to read a text book with music on in the background, and fallen asleep.

She knows her parents were worried. When she gets up to go to the bathroom and get another drink of water, she hears them talking in low voices. She doesn't really care. It isn't that she doesn't want to care, Tina just doesn't have the energy.

Dinnertime comes in the form of her mother, trying to rouse her. Tina will not be coaxed into moving. Her bed is too comfortable, she tells her mother. Besides, she won't admit it, but she's afraid of walking back up the stairs to her room. The stairs require so much energy. Tina isn't sure she can walk all the way down the stairs, and sit up at the dinner table, then walk back up to her bed. The thought of food makes her feel nauseous.

Her mother frowns. Tina's breath smells funny, she tells her daughter. She should brush her teeth. She leaves her daughter in bed.

Tina's father comes in next. He cajoles his daughter, telling her that he will take her to her favorite salon to get her highlights redone if she just comes with him to meet a friend. He notices how lackluster his daughter's hair appears in the soft lamplight of her room.

The offer of free hair dye somehow does what a mother's concern cannot, and Tina climbs out of bed. Her father frowns a little when he discovers she has been sleeping between her covers in the jeans she wore to school, but he doesn't say anything. Mr. Chang helps his thin daughter into the back of their car. She slumps against the seatbelt, sucking at the water bottle he hands her. Then, he drives as fast as he can to the ER at Lima General.

The hospital is a whirlwind. The admitting nurse in the ER takes away Tina's water bottle. She scowls when Tina barely has the energy to stand on the scale. Tina tries to answer the nurses' questions.

How old is she? Fifteen, almost sixteen. She knows she's young for a sophomore, but her parents wanted her to start school early. She was ready, academically. It didn't do her any favors, though, socially.

What's her birthday. She gives the date.

Is she on any medications? No. Sometimes she takes midol. How long ago was it? Tina tries to remember the last time she had a period. Its been a few months. She tells the nurse that.

Could she be pregnant? She blushes No. Tina doesn't think so. She knows that Finn believes you can get a girl pregnant by being in a hot tub with her, but she and Artie have barely gotten to first base.

The nurse makes her climb on a scale, and frowns at the number. Tina knows she's less than a hundred pounds. Its strange. Her learner's permit says she should be at least a hundred and ten, and that's on a good day. She has lost more than twenty pounds in less than three months.

The nurse leads Tina and Mr. Cohen back to a small glass fishbowl. When Tina says she needs to use the bathroom, the woman tells her she needs to wait.

Soon, but almost not soon enough another nurse comes in, and writes her name on the white board by Tina's bed. She's called Lea. She tells Tina's dad he can leave the room, and makes Tina get into the flimsy little green gown. Tina warns her that she's going to have an accident if she doesn't get to pee soon. Tina will have an accident, then she'll fall asleep… Lea tells Tina to lay back, and promises that everything will be okay. It's a good thing that Tina is sort of out of everything, because what Lea's doing is a little painful. But, there's relief for her bladder, which is a good thing. Now, Tina just wants water. She asks Lea, but the nurse tells her no.

A tech in purple carrying a lab kit comes in after Lea leaves. He doesn't introduce himself. He uses a wide rubberband, and ties it around Tina's arm. He tells her she's dehydrated. She asks him for water. He tells her that she can have some after she's seen a doctor. Then, he sticks a big needle in her arm. Tina screams. He doesn't apologize. He walks away with two big tubes of dark red blood. Tina gets a cotton pad taped to the inside of her left elbow.

A doctor wearing a white coat over his blue scrubs comes in. He introduces himself to Tina's parents, then pokes at Tina. He opens a chart, and tells her that her blood sugar is off the charts. She looks at him blankly. The words just don't compute. Tina hasn't eaten anything sweet all day. How can her blood be full of sugar? Her father looks striken, and waits. There is more news.

Tina falls asleep before she can hear it. She wakes up to find a crowd of purple, tan and teal scrubs crowded around her bed. They're trying to put a needle in her arm. She curls away from them. It hurts, and they keep missing her vein.

Finally, a doctor comes in the room. He wears a blue flag shaped pin with a white cross, and speaks with an accent. He's kind of cute, Tina notices. She's surprised that she can even notice that sort of thing. He's a resident here, he tells her parents. He finds a vein in her right arm, and tapes the IV into place. A bag is connected to her IV, and a cold liquid drips down the line into her arm.

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_Long chapter, I know. Please R&R_


	4. Chapter 4

_A/n: These may seem like they're detracting from the Tina drama... its partially because what's going on at McKinley is important, partially because I need a break from the drama! Let me know if you like them, or if you just want the story to continue._

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Brittany wanders through the hall, confused. She's supposed to go to class, somewhere. Normally, she walks from class to class with Santana. But, Santana is busy with Puck in the janitor's closet. Brittany knows she could find them… if she can just remember where the janitor's closet is. She looks for someone to ask.

She should ask her friends from Glee. But, Mercedes will get mad if she finds Puck and Santana together. Mercedes might have broken up with Puck, but Brittany knows that she's still mad at the brunette Cheerio. Brittany might be bad at directions and school, but she's good at people.

She thinks about looking for Kurt, but last time she saw him, he was busy reading a catalog. Brittany likes catalogs a lot, they're easier to read than real books because of all the pictures, but she knows better than to disturb Kurt when he has his catalogs and notebooks and colored pens out. Brittany thinks its weird that Kurt only writes in his little book in red and black ink, especially because he has prettier colors like pink and green, but when she tried to suggest the change, Kurt just rolled his eyes. Brittany has noticed that a lot of people roll their eyes … or rub the bridge of their nose or temples, when she's around.

Brittany looks for Artie or Tina. Actually, she looks for Artie _AND _Tina. They're almost always together. And, they're smart. They will know where Brittany is supposed to be. Brittany tries to remember if she's seen them at all today. She thinks she would remember seeing them. She remembers seeing people she likes, and she likes Artie. He was the first person who suggested that she go for a perfect kissing record.

It was after sectionals, when Rachel invited everyone over to her house for party. Puck had brought alcohol, because, well, he was Puck and he _liked_ alcohol. Brittany had been drinking lemonade out of a glass bottle with a black label. She'd gotten really excited when "You Can't Always Get what you Want" came on the radio, and she started dancing with everyone in the room. Rachel's cat, Eponine, had gotten mad and tried to scratch her. Brittany didn't think that cats made good dance partners, her duck, Ballad, never tried to bite her when they danced. Brittany was dropping the cat in the corner, and it fell into Artie's lap. He shooed the cat away quickly. It was a good thing Artie made the cat leave so quickly, because Brittany fell into his lap as soon as the cat left.

Artie's lips tasted like salt and orange juice.

Brittany likes Tina, too, most of the time. She hated the Goth girl when she first met her, but Brittany hated a lot of people before she joined Glee. Santana hated them, so Brittany hated them, too. That's what best friends do. Sometimes, best friends kiss, too. Brittany likes that. Brittany started liking Tina after Kurt had them both over to do the single ladies dance with him at the beginning of the school year. It was fun to dance in front of the camera. Brittany has always liked dancing. After Kurt's dad left, Kurt took the two of them out to Breadsticks for dinner. He said it was the least he could do, because they had been so nice about letting him be Beyonce. Brittany didn't care, she just liked dancing. Tina was quiet at dinner, but that was okay. She listened to Brittany, and didn't yell or call Brittany stupid. After that, the blond Cheerio tried to be nice to Tina.

The bell rings, and Brittany comes back to reality. She's standing in the hallway at school, holding her math book. She walks to the choir room to wait for Santana. Brittany knows where the choir room is without help.

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_Please R & R! Let me know if you like the interjections_


	5. Chapter 5

_This was actually really hard for me to write. I apologize if its a little clinical. Its based mostly my own experiences, and the hospital where I worked for a semester. Pretty much everything that happens to Tina here happened to me, although I remember being strangely obsessed with a toast cinnamon raisin bagel with butter. - C65

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Someday, Tina will try to remember her time in the hospital, and it will be a fuzzy blur. She will think that maybe it is a half-forgotten dream, but then she will look down at her right elbow, and see the tiny white scar. It will be faint, and perfectly round, the size of a head of a pin. The scar will be the result of the IV inserted by the cute Finnish doctor in the ER. It will remain more prominent than other scars from other IVs she will have later because of how dehydrated she is now.

At any rate, the memories will be fuzzy. Tina isn't sure if she feels pain or not, most of the time. Mostly, she feels tired and off. She lies in the giant hospital bed, covered by a rough white sheet and a thin white hospital blanket. She feels a little like a marionette. She has three electrodes attached to her chest, with the cord snaking out of the neck of her gown. There is the IV in her right arm, which makes moving difficult. Its connected to a bag, but the nurses keep coming in every hour to draw blood. On her left hand, she wears a clip on her index finger. It glows with a red light, and connects to another machine. Her big toe, too, is connected to a wire. She can't move in the bed without disturbing something. Its probably a good thing that she isn't moving much.

Her parents sit in the room with her. She's in a fish bowl, just outside the nurses station. When the curtains are drawn back, she can read the words, PEDS ICU written on the wall over the desk. She has her own room. Her mother leans in the arm chair by the bed, quietly reading her blackberry. Her brow furrows with fear. She does not want this for her daughter! How could this have happened to her baby? Tina's father brings an iHome and plays music. He likes to listen to the Oldies, a mixed bag in alphabetical order. Tina falls asleep to "The Sound of Silence" by Simon and Garfunkel, the second song of the playlist, and wakes up to "Bridge Over Troubled Water," the second to last song.

Nurses come and go at regular intervals. They take Tina's blood out of the IV in her arm, a relatively painless procedure. She watches them closely as they use a big needle to add medicine, too. She's not sure what the medicine is, but whatever they're giving her, it makes her feel better.

When ever the nurses come, Tina begs them for something to drink. Her mouth is so dry, she just wants a sip of water. Actually, she really wants Lo Mein noodles. They're probably sitting in the refrigerator at home, her parents could bring them to her! The nurses leave, and come back with a few chips of ice. The doctor won't let her have anything. Its probably a good thing, too. When Tina gets out of bed to pee in the little chair the nurse has set next to her bed, she throws up. Getting vertical is too much of a change for her body, and there have been so many toxins in her veins for so long, now that she has an opportunity to get rid of them, she's getting sick everywhere.

The next morning, the doctor comes. Tina is still pretty out of things. He says that no, she cannot have anything to eat for a while longer. Her parents call the school, to tell them that she will not be attending. The attendance secretary doesn't seem concerned, and agrees to send out notes to Tina's teachers.

Around 10 am, during Mr. Shuester's free period Tina later finds out, her mother's blackberry rings. The nurses give Ms. Cohen dark looks, but let her take the call. Holding her hand over the phone, Tina's mother asks her daughter if she wants Mr. Shue to visit her after school. Tina looks at herself. She's embarrassed to be in this hospital bed. No, she says vehemently, she does not want Mr. Shue coming. Her mom asks if she wants anyone to come. Tina thinks for a minute. Yes, there is one person.

_A/N: This chapter has been really hard to write. Some people may criticize this section, because the details are fuzzy but a little clinical. This is based entirely on my own experience, and almost everything that happened to Tina happened to me. ( I was strangely obsessed with a toasted cinnamon raisin bagel with butter that I had eaten for breakfast.)_


	6. Chapter 6

Mercedes walked through the halls slowly, chewing the inside of her cheek. She clutched a hall pass, the attendance secretary's messy scrawl saying that she had an excused absence. She had spent the morning in her dad's office. It was supposed to be a routine visit. Go in, get her teeth cleaned, leave. The whole thing was supposed to be done before second period finished. But… then The Filling had come out.

The Filling had happened a little over a year ago, during another routine check up when her father discovered The Cavity. Then, there had been a blow up. Mercedes wasn't sure why her father was so angry at her, her brothers had suffered cavities as well. They had just gotten The Flossing Lecture, and chores around the house. So, Mercedes had gotten The Flossing Lecture. It was a little ridiculous, since she had been getting The Lecture since she got her first tooth. Then, her father supervised her dental routine for a month, until he was satisfied. He had banned her from eating sweets at home. It had sucked.

Taking dental x-rays, her father had discovered that The Filling was loose. The hygienist, Jeanie, had pulled it out by accident. Mercedes normally liked Jeanie, she was young with the most adorable little boy. But, it hurt when The Filling came out. Her father had had to move other patients back to replace, which had frustrated him. Mercedes had missed all of third period, as the enamel set. She knew her father was going to be monitoring her sugar intake again for a while. She dreaded The Flossing Lecture that would come that night, after dinner.

The side of her face was numb. Her chin felt wet. Oh, God, not drool. Mercedes wasn't sure she could ever escape being teased if she walked through the school hall with drool. She ducked into a girl's bathroom, and wiped the back of her hand across her mouth. She made a face at herself in the mirror. Even with half her face frozen, she was still a curvy goddess.

Mercedes studied her pass and chewed the inside of her cheek. It felt strange. She knew that it was a bad idea, that later she would regret it, but that wasn't enough to deter her from the bad habit. She turned, and left the girl's bathroom, heading in the direction of the choir room.

She walked in, expecting to find it empty. Normally, most of the Glee club was in class. She knew that only a few members, notably Artie and Puck, had free periods during the day. Rachel, she was almost convinced, came to school two hours early to fit in everything she wanted to do. Mercedes was convinced that she was as much of a diva as Rachel, she just didn't need to push herself as hard.

Mercedes was happy to see Brittany sitting in a chair, looking confused. "I forgot what class I was supposed to be going to," The blond said, brushing her bangs out of her eyes. "Do you know where I should go next?

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_Please R & R! Mercedes was hard to write, and I don't think I quite got her voice._


	7. Chapter 7

Artie Abrams isn't sure how he feels about being in the Pediatric ICU of Lima General again. He fumbles with his phone, checking the text message that appeared during his second period study hall. Its supposed to be his PE period, but the adaptive therapist he normally sees is Tina's father's second in command. With Mr. Chang gone, the Lima Therapeutic practice just can't spare Mark.

_Tina in hospital. Askng 4 u. 10__th__ flr, rm 1004._ He looks at it, shuddering. He knows the tenth floor of Lima general better than most people. He spent a good two months there just after his eight birthday. He was in room 1006. The lower the number, the more serious the patient, he remembers. The girl next to him in 1005 died. Artie feels knot of fear at the pit of his stomach. He doesn't know if he can go back, but if Tina is asking for him, nothing will stop him.

At lunch, he goes to the nurses office. After that horrible Vitamin D incident when Figgins fired Mrs. Shuester, the attendance secretary began doing double duty as the nurse. An official nurse, on with an RN comes in two days a week, but this isn't one. The secretary has almost as much medical training as Mrs. Shuester had, only more common sense. But, she can't say that Artie Abrams doesn't look sick when he wheels into her office. On hand is clutching his stomach, and there is a grim expression on his too white face. She suggests that he can go back and lay down by Noah Puckerman, but Artie shakes his head. He wants to go home. He doesn't think he'll get better. The nurse lets Artie call his dad. After all, he has no reason for faking sick.

Mr. Abrams is not pleased to get a call from his son. He is in an important meeting. He's even more angry when he drives to William McKinley to discover that Artie isn't really sick, just upset. He thinks about making Artie go back to class, until his son wordlessly hands over the phone. He drives his son to the hospital, overwhelmed by memories. He has brought Artie here more times than he cares to remember. There is something good, though, about bringing his healthy son. They're not speeding into the ER entrance, a sweaty Artie wrapped in blankets which he will throw off and pull on as the throws of the fever take him. Mr. Abrams is almost guilty about his relief, when he remembers that his son is here to visit Tina Cohen-Chang. He likes the quiet asian girl, and she's been good for his son.

Artie skids through the main entrance, and rushes through the entrance. A volunteer at the front desk tries to stop him, but he manages to avoid her by ducking into the gift shop. He remembers how many teddy bears he got when he was sick. His mother keeps them in a box in the closet of his old room. Artie looks at the bears. He wants a black one, with patching purple fur. Nothing like that seems to exist in the hospital gift shop. Most of the bears are small and poorly made, but expensive. Then, he sees a white rabbit. Its September, and the rabbit is on sale. Its not terribly big, but it smells good. Artie pays, and the bunny nestles under his arm as he wheels toward the bank of elevators.

He eyes the nurses station, and expects someone to stop him. No ones does, as wheels himself toward room 1004. Mr. Chang lets him in. Artie is overcome by bad memories when he sees Tina in the bed. He remembers being immobilized. He couldn't feel his legs, and the doctors had him in a back brace. They had put a tube down his throat so he could breathe, and when he work up, his throat was completely sore.

Tina is asleep, but her face seems to be free of tubes. Its hard for Artie to tell. Her bed is raised pretty high. He notices how small se is, lying there.

"What's wrong?" He asks Mr. Chang in an undertone.

Tina's father sighs. "Diabetes," he says quietly.

"She's not going to die?" Artie has to reassure himself.

Mr. Chang shakes his head. "The doctor says we almost lost her, if we had waited a few more days…"

The boy in the wheelchair feels relief. Artie racks his brain for what he knows about the disease. "But, how?" he asks. "She's not obese. And, she's so young."

Ms. Cohen rises from her perch next to her sleeping daughter. "There are two kinds," she explains kindly. "Tina has Type I, which happens to children. The immune system attacks the insulin producing cells, so there is nothing in the body to let sugar into most cells. In Type II, the body's insulin doesn't work right, or there isn't enough to move sugar."

Artie sits by his friend's bedside, watching her heart beat on the monitor. A nurse comes in on the hour, and Tina stirs fitfully. She reaches out her hand, searching for someone to hold onto while the nurse draws blood out of the IV in her right arm. "Stop," she whimpers, "It hurts."

The nurses looks sorry, but tells Tina that she has to take the blood. The lab wants to check things, and her blood sugar is too high for the regular meter. Just a hundred more points, and they can stick Tina's finger. Artie isn't sure if the nurse is being cruel or kind.


	8. Chapter 8

_Because writing these is like ANGSTY CRACK, I have decided to put up another chapter today... sorry its so short! I also find Rachel hard to write..._

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Rachel looks around the room. She knows that only two members of new directions are missing, but it feels like more. Without Tina's quiet but strong Alto and Artie's instense baritone, the harmony sounds hallow. Rachel always thought that the melody was the most important part of a song. After all, if there is no melody, there is no song. She had once walked in on Artie practicing in the music room. The notes he played sounded familiar, but she hadn't been able to pick out what he was playing. Later, she asked him. He'd explained that he'd been practicing the bass part, a harmony, for Ella Fitzgerald's "Betcha Nickel." Without the melody, Rachel hadn't had a snowball's chance in an Ohio summer of identifying the tune, even though she knew it. Rachel didn't listen to much jazz, but her dad was a big fan of Ella.

Mercedes is quieter than usual, the lower half of her face looking like she suffers from Bell's Palsey. It is apparent to Rachel that Dr. Jones doesn't care how his daughter looks, because he gave her enough Novocain to keep her numb for the next week. Mercedes normally can sing, but not today.

Now, Rachel realizes that she needs the harmony. The melody is the basic ingredient, like the pasta of the song. Sometimes, its nice to eat pasta on its own. But, most of the time you need sauce and cheese and oil to make it really good. The harmony makes the song, the way spices make a meal.

Rachel hopes that Artie and Tina will be back tomorrow. She is looking forward to the intervention. She even went to Miss Pillsbury during PE and got pamphlets about eating disorders. She has "So you like to make yourself throw up" stashed in her bag, underneath her planner covered in gold stars.

_

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Also... I need some help. I'm about 6 chapters ahead of you in writing, but like I said earlier, I'm trying to write ahead... okay, I'm sort of addicted to the story and like writing ahead. But, here's the thing. I want to introduce an OC "expert". So, are there questions you want to ask about diabetes (or possibly Tina and Artie's relationship) that haven't been answered? Sex, drugs, bathing suits, rock'n'roll... all are fair game. Thanks! C65.  
_


	9. Chapter 9

Artie doesn't go to school the next day. Instead, he sits by Tina's bedside and listens to the nurse-educator. They've moved her to a private room in the regular pediatrics floor. It's a relief not to be in the ICU. It means that Tina's getting better. She's moving a little bit more, although she's still really weak. And, she's starting to eat on her own. The doctor gave her permission, after blood and urine tests come back clear.

Artie listens carefully to the explanations the nurse gives. He can tell that Tina isn't listening so well. She's still floating in and out of consciousness most of the time. Maybe it's the poison that's filled her body, or maybe she's lost brain cells, starving for months. The educator explains that insulin is like a key that lets glucose into everyone's cells. Tina can't make insulin, anymore, because she doesn't have anymore islet cells. If sugar doesn't go into cells, they start to starve. They'll start to break down fat, and remake sugar. Once the body runs out of the its supply of the necessary chemicals, the products of fat breakdown build up as toxins called ketones. Acetone, the chemical in nail polish remover, is one of the first thing that fills the blood. Artie understands most of what the nurse is saying. He had biology freshman year, and they had to study a little bit about metabolism during their unit on the cell cycle.

She continues to lecture, moving into the scary part. She reminds Artie of his occupational therapists when he was a child. These were the tortures who would make him dress and undress himself multiple times. It might have been a blessing, because it meant that costume changes for Glee weren't as long as they might have been, and that he could get to class after Slushie facials, but it had still been annoying. She pulls a small black case, about the size of a paper back novel out of her bag. The nurse shows them how to turn on the little meter inside by inserting a strip. Then, she makes Tina and her parents practice pricking their fingers with the spring loaded lancet and loading the blood onto a strip. Tina shudders, and sticks her finger in her mouth, afterwards, sucking the blood away. A frown creases her brow when the nurse says this will be an occurrence four times a day, minimum.

The next thing to emerge from that package of horrors is a small bear. Artie thinks that its relatively non threatening, with hearts for paws and an open face. It might be young for Tina, but maybe there is only one education kit for all pediatric patients. Then, the nurse pantses the bear, treating Artie to a view of his glowing purple backside. A piece of felt is sewn every place you can put in a shot.

The educator pulls out a bag of oranges, and hands one apiece to each of Tina's parents. She offers Artie an orange, which he takes. She glances at Tina. The girl in the bed is asleep, her dark hair making a curtain across her pale, hallow face. They are handed syringes, and small glass bottles. Artie slides his hands out of his dingy yellow gloves as he practices the proper technique. The educator explains that you have to pinch an inch of fat to inject the insulin, because otherwise the medicine will be absorbed too quickly.

Tina is released that night. The nurse comes in, and pulls the IV out of her arm. Loosing it was almost as bad as getting the stupid tube put in. It bleeds everywhere, until the nurse tapes a gauze pad in place. Tina's arms and chest are covered in fuzzy grey lint. Later, she will be all to familiar with its removal using rubbing alcohol and toilet paper. Now, she wonders how she has become the half stuck monster.

She and Artie sit in their wheelchairs together as a candy striper pushes her to the curb. She remembers the last time she and Artie were at this level, and shudders a little bit. No more secrets, at least not from him, she tells herself. His dad is waiting at the curb with the Abrams van, and Tina watches, sadly, as her on-and-off boyfriend drives away.

The Cohen-Chang house is mostly quiet that night. Tina is still so tired. She still has some ketones. Her blood sugar is high. She just wants to go to sleep in her bed. She wants to spend a night without someone coming in every hour to draw blood, or prod at her. The only real excitement occurs before bed, when her father reminds her she needs to take a shot. Tina and her parents go through a song and dance worthy of a Broadway show, which ends in Tina curled in the fetal position in her bathtub. A fetal position is apparently a position in which a shot can be administered, she learns, as her father finds a section of her upper arm, and pinches it gently. The needle hurts as it comes out of her arm.


	10. Chapter 10

Quinn corners Artie the next day at school. He and Tina have been absent the last two days. Their absence in and of itself is noticeable. Tina never misses school, and Artie has his doctors appointments in Columbus on the weekend. He never misses school without warning people first, unless something is really wrong.

Its Puck who tells Quinn where she can find Artie. She's not sure if this is a good thing, or a bad one. Puck and Artie don't have any classes together except Glee. Quinn is convinced her baby daddy knows Wheel's schedule for only nefarious reasons. He doesn't have a great track record. She knows that the Cheerios sometimes track girls who they plan to slushy, but it never occurred to her to memorize schedules.

Quinn finds Artie outside his civics. He has a scowl on his face. She isn't really surprised; Artie complains to his fellow Muppet babies on a regular basis about Mr. Benedict. He's one of Sue's cronies, and has spent the past few months ordering pizza and booking hotel rooms for the Cheerio's various trips. Artie was incensed last week that the teacher couldn't locate the Gulf of Mexico on a map, to explain the location of the BP disaster to Brittany.

"Where's Tina?" She asks him.

Artie whirls in his chair. "Jesus, Woman!" He exclaims. "You're a ninja."

Quinn smiles. She hasn't gone back to squeaky tennis shoes or heels since her baby was born. Instead, she prefers soft slippers that barely make a noise when she walks. "You weren't paying attention," she accuses.

Artie shrugs, "True enough."

Quinn glances up at the clock. She has three minutes to get across the school. She needs to make this quick. "Where is Tina?" She asks, trying to sound more gentle than bitchy.

Apparently, she doesn't succeed, because Artie's face falls. "Sick," he says.

"Tina doesn't get sick," Quinn says. Its true. She's never know the Goth girl to get anything worse than a cold. She doesn't even have the seasonal allergies that tortured Quinn all through her childhood.

Artie looks at Quinn blankly. "Of course she gets sick," he says. "And, she's home sick, today." He looked like he didn't want to be pushed any further.

Quinn checks the clock. She has to run if she's going to be on time for Pre Calc. If she arrives late, Mrs. Fibonacci will make Quinn work problems on the board. Quinn hates explaining the math she's stumbling through. "Fine," Quinn says, and hurries away to her math class.

Quinn finds Artie in the choir room. He's sitting alone, fiddling with guitar. Maybe he's hiding from Azimo and Karofsky. The bullies attacks have intensified.

"Did Tina's parents find out about her eating disorder?" Quinn asks point blank.

"Eating disorder?" Artie looks confused. "Tina doesn't have an eating disorder. She has diabetes." Quinn stares at him. Artie realizes what he's said. "Oh, shit, she's going to kill me!" He reaches toward his neck, under the collar of his shirt, but apparently finds nothing there. "Oh, shit!" He repeats, almost reflexively. He is clearly rattled.

Quinn reaches out, and grabs his wrist. She remembers getting tested for the condition during her pregnancy with Beth. She was glad she had been okay. As much as pregnancy had sucked, the prospect of complications would have been completely unbearable.

"Is there anything I can do?" Quinn asks, racking her brain for _something, anything_ she can offer. There isn't much.

Artie shrugs. "I don't know. I'm going there after school. Tina and I are gonna watch movies. Her choice, which means I'll probably end up spending the night with George Clooney and Brad Pitt." He rolls his eyes. "She loves the Oceans movies." He is not going to admit to Quinn Fabray that _he_ has a man crush on Matt Damon, and has the entire series memorized.

Quinn makes up her mind. "I'll drive you," she offers.

Artie looks uncomfortable. "Its fine, my dad is supposed to pick me up after Glee. And, I'll just roll over. I live really close anyway."

Quinn admires his self reliance, but insists. "I'll drive you. There's no reason for you dad to come pick you up." She keeps bothering Artie, until he surrenders.

As they drive to the local drug store, Quinn gets him to admit that he wasn't looking forward to riding with his dad. They would have to pick up his younger siblings, and it would be at least four o'clock before he could get over to the Cohen-Chang house.

He stares in wonderment when she buys a small bottle of rubbing alcohol. Mercedes' dad had explained the alcohol trick to Quinn after she was released from the hospital with Beth. The alcohol breaks up the stick quickly, and then it washes away with water. Quinn finds a little bit of ribbon in the back of her car, the remnant of a long ago scrap booking project her mother had started, back when her mother loved her.

She ties the ribbon in place, and follows Artie's directions to an two story house in a nice neighborhood. Its only a few blocks from where her parents, well, now her mother, lives. Quinn is nervous as she follows Artie up to the front door. She marvels as he pops a wheelie over the low step.


	11. Chapter 11

_A/N: For the sake of convenience (my own) I have designated that a carbohydrate exchange as a Carb. This unit is equivalent to fifteen grams of carbohydrates, and is commonly used among doctors/nutritionists. _

_

* * *

_Tina is awoken early the next morning. Its about 7 am. She rolls over in bed and glares at her father. "Too early," she complains. "I'm not going to school today. You and mom said last night."

Mr. Chang shrugs. "You have to eat something. You can go back to sleep after breakfast."

This is how the next several weekends go. Which ever parent is assigned to the duty will wake up Tina at 7am, and watch her as she carefully doses herself out of the fat cartridge "pens" in the refrigerator. They will make sure their daughter eats something, even though she will insist that breakfast at 7 am on a non school day sucks. But, the schedule has been set by school. Maybe during the summer she can change things, and wake up later.

Tina goes back to bed, and sleeps like the dead. It's a deep, dreamless sleep which, for the first time in months, goes undisturbed by prying nurses or bathroom visits. Tina's father knows that his daughter is still recovering. He jokes to her mother that Tina is like a baby. All she seems to do is eat and sleep. Well… eat, sleep and learn to manage a condition that is like a beast constantly lying in wait to spring. He hopes his little girl can tame the beast, that that these past few days are as sick as she will ever be again. If he was a religious man, he might have prayed. But, he abandoned religion long ago, and he has no god to turn to now.

Tina awakes on her own, around noon. Her father prepared lunch. Tina blushes as he measures the cooked pasta with a measuring cup. Once cup is two Carbs, she remembers vaguely. She's embarrassed that her father has measured the pasta that way. What if this isn't the last time he does it? What if people notice? Tina drinks one glass of juice with lunch. Two Carbs. The breadstick is one. She counts, five. The nurse had given her a dose for the number she ate, a dose her father watches her dial into the skinny pen. He injects it into her forearm. Tina feels like a freak.

She showers after lunch, happy to shed the junky feeling of hospital and illness. She discovers the thin gold chain, and the small medal around her neck. Tina knows it's Artie's. The few times she has coaxed him out of his shirt to see the abs and chest she's secretly sure is maintained for her express enjoyment (mobility be damned, boy's nice biceps are to keep their girlfriend happy), the coin has been around his neck. She doesn't recognize the faded picture of the figure pressed into the gold. Its either a young man or a woman. Tina has never been very good with Renaissance art. The name written around the edge has been rubbed away. It scares Tina a little bit that she has the metal. Artie never takes the thing off. Normally its hidden, but he's wearing it.

Tina doesn't know what to do about the metal. She can't do much, Artie is at school according to the text she received around lunch time. The combined wrath of two sets of parents (his and hers) was barely enough to convince him to get into his dad's van that morning. Only the threat of grounding (effectively banning him for the Cohen-Chang residence) was enough to prevent him from spending the day with her. He has promised to come over after school. Remembering this, Tina has a desire to feel a little more human.

The hot water feels amazing, tumbling onto her head. But, she still doesn't have the energy to stand up long enough to wash her hair. She sits the in the bathtub, letting the hot water rain down on her head. She pulls away the bandage from her right elbow, and scrubs at the gray tape marks. She has to be careful, because her arm is bruised from the IV. She can't apply enough pressure to remove the gunk without hurting herself, so she leaves it.

Clean, Tina returns to her room and dresses in comfortable clothes. Its nice to wear something other than pajamas or sweats. Very few of her clothes fit, because she is still _so_ skinny, but she looks okay, she decides.

Tina isn't tired enough to sleep, so she goes downstairs to watch a movie. She knows she has weird tastes in movies, Artie is constantly telling her that. But, he isn't here to judge her choice. Tina feels so old, she just wants something that will make her relax. She pulls Howl's Moving Castle off the shelf, and puts it in the DVD player. Artie wouldn't approve her choice. He doesn't like Diana Wayne Jones, or Miyazaki.

The next thing Tina knows, Artie _is_ there. Artie and … Quinn Fabray. Tina blushes furiously, but she scoots over for her boyfriend. He makes a face, and steels the remote away, turning off the anime. Tina is a little angry, but she's more curious about Quinn, so she lets him. Only then, does he join her on the couch. Quinn looks surprised, but she perches in an arm chair perpendicular to the couch with its line of sight to the TV.

Quinn pulls something out of her school bag. Tina stares. It's a bottle of rubbing alcohol with a purple ribbon wrapped around the top. "This works really well for getting rid of tape gunk," The blond tells Tina.

* * *

_Please Review! Thank you to all who have added this story to their alerts!_


	12. Chapter 12

**DISCLAIMER: Just as I do not own Glee, I do not own the rights to the Ocean's movies. Ocean's 11 is somewhere on my floor, right now. The quotes may or may not be accurate... I'm not watching it as I write.**

* * *

Quinn watches uncomfortably for a few minutes after Tina crawls from the couch to put in Oceans Eleven. Quinn has already seen the movie a few times, and she doesn't care for the suave criminals. She has always liked things that were black and white. Good guys are good and follow the law. Bad guys are bad, and they break the laws. Good girls go with good guys. Bad girls go with bad guys. No where in Quinn's black and white universe did a good girl go with a bad guy and end up pregnant, kicked out of her home, and alone. Her life isn't black and white anymore. Quinn doesn't like the gray.

She gets up, offering to get popcorn. Artie frowns, and shakes his head, but doesn't explain. Tina is leaning against his chest, her ear over his heart. He's whispering every line in the movie to her. "She can only leave me once," he says in sync with George Clooney.

Quinn walks through the house, the floor plan almost familiar. Its so like her own, although Tina's parents have decorated with actual family photographs. The small upright piano is decorated with white clay sculptures with thin black glazed patterns. The house looks lived in. Quinn's house was like a museum. Everything is kept in perfect order. There were no candid photographs or no amateur artwork, only studio portraits of the family and watercolor prints.

In the kitchen, Quinn finds Tina's dad cooking. She's a little surprised, her father never cooked. It was always her mother's, really the housekeeper's, responsibility. But, Mr. Chang is wearing an apron, and a knife sits next to a cutting board covered in onion. A pan of olive oil is heating on the stove. But, Mr. Chang hasn't added the onions to the oil. Instead, he sits with his head in his hand, idly flicking a pencil in his hand. In front of him sit internet printouts and a calculator. A tear slips down his cheek.

Quinn retreats. She's glad her shoes are quiet. She remembers that diabetes means you can't eat sweets. Maybe Tina can't eat popcorn because its junk food? Quinn knows that it sucks to watch other people eat in front of you when you're hungry. She loves spicy food, but with baby Beth, it would give her wicked heartburn.

Quinn returns to the living room, and says goodbye to Artie. Tina is asleep, and Artie is reciting the movie to himself. Artie pauses long enough to say goodbye. She hurries out of the house, regretting her mistake.

* * *

Mr. Chang feels a tear escape the corner of his eye. He can't believe this has happened to his baby. He remembers when Tina was a little girl, how lively she was. Then, her grandfather died. Sixth grade was a hard year. She had stopped talking, to him, to her mother, to everyone. In seventh grade, his beautiful daughter decided to become a Goth. But, the dark clothes made her happy, so he was happy, too. Sometimes, he wished that she would wear something different, but he accepts it. That doesn't mean he'll spend all his money on Tina's ridiculous hair. Last year was good. Tina joined the Glee club, made friends, found a boyfriend…

Now, though there's this. He wishes he could take this away. Its torture to his parent's soul to watch his baby suffer. He wants to take away the pain of the injections, of everything. He turns back to the notebook where he has made a careful list of the ingredients he's using. He writes the number of grams of carbohydrate each represents next to it, and sums the total for the recipe. Tina's father can do nothing but support his daughter. And, this arithmetic exercise will help her, so he will do it, even though Tina's father secretly hates math.


	13. Chapter 13

Quinn debates telling Mercedes about Tina. Since Beth's birth, they've been close, closer than Quinn has ever been with anyone. The silence of the Fabray house is oppressive after the warmth the Jones family showed Quinn. She wishes she could go back to living with Mercedes, but its not possible. For one thing, James, 'Cedes' older brother, has complained profusely about giving up his room. Apparently Dr. and Mrs. Jones sprung it on him during his last visit home, and made him pack almost everything in tubs before he returned to Ohio State. He was less than pleased to meet Quinn when his sister drove the two of them up for a weekend.

She's fairly sure that Puck accidentally told Mercedes about his part in Beth's conception. Mercedes probably let it slip to Kurt, and their discussions clued Artie and Tina in. She's not entirely sure how Santana and Brittany found out. It might have been Puck's big mouth again, or maybe Kurt let it slip to Brit. He and the female Cheerio are pretty close. Tina seemed stricken when Quinn arrived, she reflected. Neither the goth or her boyfriend discussed Tina's problems. Mr. Chang had not mentioned it. Quinn decides that she isn't supposed to know, so she can't tell Mercedes.

She tries to focus on her homework, but she can't manage it. The house is too quiet, too empty. Quinn is sure she is going crazy. She tries turning on music, the TV, anything. Nothing relieves the silent oppression. She picks up the phone, and dials Mercedes' cell.

Once ring.

Oh God, please, pick up.

Two rings.

Please, please, please.

Three rings.

Mercedes answers.

* * *

Tina wakes up as Brad Pitt pulls away from the jail, Julie Roberts and George Clooney in the back seat. A black sedan with two meat heads follows them out of the parking lot. The hired muscle reminds her of Azimo and Karofsky. Artie's whispering the last few lines of the movie in her ear, softly. His arm is around her shoulder. Everything is right with the world. Tina feels safe.

Then, her dad walks in, and reminds them its time for dinner. She feels a sinking sensation in her stomach. She's not sure she wants to eat, not with Artie here. She's not sure she wants anyone to see what she has to do. She worries that her dad will once again try serving rice with a measuring cup.

Artie transfers back to his wheelchair. "Go ahead," he says to her softly. "I'll be a minute."

Tina nods. She's grateful, although she wishes the bathroom were sound-proof, too. That way, if she cries like a little girl when the needle goes in, he won't see it. Tina loves her boyfriend, but she has an image to maintain. She is an empowered, and in control. She rules her body… right?

She measures out a dosage, careful to estimate what she will eat. She has to eat everything she doses, but won't eat anymore. Tina isn't comfortable enough with needles yet that she'll do it. Later, she'll become more comfortable. She won't mind pulling an inch long one from her belly in just a few months. Now, though, she can't stand them.


	14. Chapter 14

After a weekend of recovery, Tina returns to school. She feels like she's been gone much longer than just a few days. Most of her classes are overwhelming. Its been so long since she was completely able to pay attention to her teachers. She's completely lost in chemistry. Math, never her best subject, is confusing as well. As far as Tina is concerned, a log is something you find in the woods. In English, the Goth wonders when they started reading Shakespeare. They don't read a play in a week, her teacher likes to go through and outline each act. Tina's overwhelmed by the information she's missed, and the make up work she's accumulated by the time lunch arrives. But, nothing has prepared her for what meets her at the midday meal.

* * *

Rachel Berry smooths her skirt, and pats her hair. Nine members of new directions are gathered before her. Only Tina and Artie are missing. "My fellow Glee Clubbers," She says, the authority of her co-captaincy behind her words, "Today is the day we stage out intervention. The plan begins at twelve, noon. Mercedes, Kurt, you're responsible for bringing Tina here."

"If I may, Rachel?" Kurt interjects, "Asking us to bring Tina here makes me feel like a kidnapper. These," he motions to his outfit, "Are not the appropriate clothes for an extraction. For that, I think trench coats would be in order."

Rachel ignores the flamboyant boy's interruption. "Santana, Brittany, will you set up the chairs?" The Hispanic girl gives Rachel a look of pure venom last seen directed toward Mercedes, but Rachel just ignores her. "They should be in a circle, so we can talk like equals."

"We can only talk if you shut up," mutters Puck.

Rachel is only somewhat more subdued. She suggests the boys work on a song. Because, of course, an intervention is the perfect avenue for a song. She sends Finn off to search for the perfect thing, because he's her co-captain. He's also kind of distracting her. His eyes are so brown, and he's giving her that perfect puppy dog look. The one where he looks totally confused… because he is.

* * *

Finn looks for lyrics, and Kurt and Mercedes, accompanied by silent Matt as a bodyguard, go to look for Tina. Rachel sets the rest of the Glee club to write down what they will say when Tina arrives. She thinks its an excellent plan. This way, everyone will be able to say everything they want. Rachel jots her list on the clean sheet of notebook paper in front of her. Everyone else in the room is writing, even Brittany. Everyone, that is, but Quinn.

Finn gets sidetracked in the library. He knows he's supposed to be looking for a song and lyrics, but there are so many other things to see. Since his discovery that the school had a library, and you could check out books, he's been kind of secretly obsessed. Finn finds the new Sports Illustrated in the stack of magazines in the corner. He knows that the librarian has been hiding it, but Finn is really tall, so he can see the top of the rack, unlike everyone else. Finn settles in to read, conveniently ignoring the computers.

Its probably a good thing he doesn't try to access them, looking for songs. If he had, Jacob Ben Israel might have waylaid him. That would have been bad, because Jacob is updating his gossip blog right now, accusing Tina Cohen-Chang of being a drug user. After all, she's been getting really skinny lately. And, he saw a small orange syringe fall out of her bag earlier.

* * *

Mercedes and Kurt arrive at the lunch room, Matt silently tailing them. He's a menacing presence. He still doesn't talk much, but they're happy to have him. At least he's no longer involved in slushieing. Kurt is eternally grateful. Artie is sitting alone at their usual table. He has a lunch sack open in front of him. There is a squished peanut butter sandwich. The red jelly leaking onto the wheat bread looks like blood, Matt thinks. Kurt admires the color, thinking that it would make an excellent shade of shirt. A sort of deep pinky-red.

"Where's Hot Mama, Wheels?" 'Cedes asks.

Artie shrugs, and pulls a bag of carrot sticks for his bag. He knows she's in the nurse's office. Figgins insists that his hands are tied, and Tina has to go to the nurse every time she needs a shot. Syringes are drug paraphernalia, and McKinley High cannot allow its students, even students who rely on the medication delivered by the needles to stay alive, to carry or use them openly.

Just then, Tina walks into the cafeteria, clutching her own sack lunch. Her mom had made it that morning. Tina can't remember the last time her mom made her lunch. Her first day of sixth grade, maybe, after Grandpa died. That afternoon, Tina's mother told her that she could buy what ever she wanted for lunch making at the grocery store, as long as it passed certain nutritional standards and she put it together herself. But, when Tina woke up that morning, her mother had been standing at the island in their kitchen, spreading mustard on a two pieces of bread. Tina had frowned, and reminded her mother that (1) she is lactose intolerant, and (2) she hates mayo. There are two store bought cookies in the bag, an apple and some water. A note accompanies everything, with a number carefully written in her mother's handwriting. Sixty grams.

Mercedes grab's Tina's wrist before her friend can escape. She marvels at how skinny her bestie has gotten. She leads her friend to the choir room, letting Kurt and Matt convince Artie to come along. Mercedes knows, from personal experience, that when you're struggling with dieting the last thing you want to do is have a bunch of people tell you not to eat. She remembers how nice Quinn had been when she fainted in the cafeteria. Even though she won't admit it, Artie had made damn cute cake.

"Girl, I know what you're going through," Mercedes says by way of preface. She wants to lessen the blow. Rachel's idea suddenly seems stupid. "When I joined the Cheerios,"

"No, you don't!" Tina says, vehemently. "I doubt that you have any idea."

"I do, I do." Mercedes reassures her. She thinks that Tina must be in denial. She hurries to the choir room.


	15. Chapter 15

_A/N: This chapter is NOT based on personal experience. THANK GOD NO ONE HAS EVER TRIED THIS ON ME!_

_

* * *

_The intervention is a disaster from the start. Mercedes brings Tina into the room before Rachel is ready. Finn still hasn't returned from his sojourn to the library. Kurt, Artie, Matt and Mercedes haven't gotten a chance to write their thoughts, either. Mike and Santana are quietly and patiently trying to explain what they're doing to Brittany. Quinn's paper is blank.

Rachel does her best to salvage the situation. She lets Mercedes lead Tina to a seat in the circle. She notices that Tina is still clutching a paper bag. Maybe she's looking for a place to binge in private? Or… its full of her vomit. The thought makes Rachel swallow a little of vomit herself.

The boys, a sheepish and empty handed Finn in tow, arrive a few minutes later, and sit down. Rachel is disappointed that Finn has failed his mission, but takes it in stride. It is a leader's job to compensate when everyone else fails. Rachel knows she is the true leader of New Directions, regardless of the Co-Captaincy. Everyone sits, and she begins.

"Tina, it's come to our attention that you have a problem," She says, practicing the speech she has rehearsed in front of her mirror. "And, we want to help you." Tina looks confused, but doesn't interrupt. Rachel is grateful. If this were Kurt, he would have already interrupted her. "We all really care about you. I know that you don't have my extensive voice training, but I, for one, notice when you're not singing. And you can't sing if you're dead."

Finn sees Rachel looking at him. Oh, God, does he have to say something? He's been thinking about Soccer. Its not as good as football, but the pre-world cup matches have been interesting. He thinks he might root for South Africa when the World Cup is played. They're kind of underdogs, like the kids from Glee. He hopes that Burt won't mind. He and Burt haven't really watched soccer together, but he doesn't think his almost step father will mind the excuse for a show of national pride and beer drinking.

"Uhh," Finn says after a minute and a kick from Rachel, "what Rachel said. We're worried." He looks at Puck, begging his friend to take over.

Puck knows that Finn is out of his element. Even though they're not really talking since the whole thing with Quinn and baby Beth, he's still known Finn for years. Finn was there for him when he was eight and his dad walked out, leaving Puck with a black eye and a broken thumb. Finn was there when he was twelve and his Nana died, and when they were thirteen and they went out for the 7/8 Football team. Puck had been kind of a fat kid. The point is, Puck has known Finn forever, so he knows when Finn is scared. If he was still really mad, Puck would leave Finn out to dry. But, he's not.

"Umm… you're normally kinda hot, in a scary goth way," Puck says. Santana shoots him a glare. "But, now, you're just kinda scary. I mean, I like thin girls, but you look like a skeleton. And, you shouldn't. 'Cause, you're, you know … hot."

Tina blushes. Puck thinks she's hot in a scary Goth way? She thinks about it, and suddenly worries that he will decide to find a song written by a scary Goth Asian Jew, and sing it to her. He's already done it to Mercedes and Rachel. On the other hand, it would be funny to see Artie's face if that happened. Tina doesn't realize it, but this is the first time in a long time that she's thought about something other than food, water, sleep or the bathroom.

Santana knows its her turn. She looks down at her paper, well, Puck's paper. He's written her a note asking him to meet her in the janitor's closet after this stupid intervention is done. Santana is looking forward to it. She will do anything to get this over with. "If you tell anyone I said this," she threatens, "I will sneak into your house and pour yellow into your hair dye so you look like a bumble bee, but I kind of like you." She means it, too. Santana isn't good at expression affection to anyone but Brittany. She needs to maintain her tough-as-nails image. Its hard to be a smart Latina. Its hard to stay on top.

Brittany knows she's supposed to say something nice, and something about how she's worried about Tina. After the dinner with Kurt at Breadsticks, she and Tina went to pick out hair dye. Brittany suggested pink, much to Kurt's chagrin. Tina loved the new hair color. Brittany thinks about how she's a good dancer, but how Tina hasn't been able to dance, lately. So, she decides to tell Tina that.

Kurt's eyes tear up. Tina looks so fragile in the skirt she's wearing. Fragile isn't a word that would normally be used to describe this girl, but the over-sized clothes make her look vulnerable. Her gaunt face reminds him of his mother's last few months. Her dead, gray feet scare him. What if that grayness spreads through her body because of malnutrition? What if she dies? Tina has always accepted him for who he is, even going so far as to allow him to play Human Barbie with him in the mall. Kurt who is never at a loss for words, searches for the right ones to say to his friend. Finally, he swallows and tries to look at her through the blurry curtain filling his eyes. "Tina, I don't want to loose you," is all he can say.

Mercedes said her piece in the hall, already. But, she wants to be supportive. And, she's never been one to waste the opportunity to talk. "We all love you," Mercedes sounds subdued. "And, we think you're beautiful the way you are. You're the perfect size, already."

Quinn is torn. She's been watching Tina and Artie as this little ruse has been going on. She knows that Tina has a problem, but this intervention will do no good. The old Quinn, the Queen Bitch, would have yelled at Rachel for the stupidity of the event, or refused to come. The pregnant Quinn, Ice Princess that she was, would have said something cool. This new, postpartum Quinn isn't sure what to say. She doesn't want to reveal Tina's secret, or get Artie in trouble. She leans over, and gently hug's Tina's shoulders. Quinn is trying to convey all her love and support in the simple gesture.

Matt Rutherford thinks about his cousin's friend. Anna had been so sweet, but she had never thought she was skinny enough. When they were twelve, Anna started dieting hard core. She would lie about what she ate, and avoid eating all together. She became obsessive about food. He remembers Anna's funeral, and the emptiness he had felt, seeing the tiny girl in the coffin. Tina reminds him of Anna's corpse.

"I don't have a lot of friends," Matt says, surprising everyone with his voice. "And, I don't want to loose another one." He doesn't elaborate about Anna. He's said his piece.

Mike stares at his hands. He's thinking about the Single Ladies Video Brittany gave him earlier in the year. He remembers how beautiful Tina's movements were… so beautiful that it made him hard. "You have everything, Tina," he finally says quietly. He means it, too. "You don't need to change your body to fit in."

Rachel looks pointedly at Artie. He looks like he's driving his nails into his bare palm. She pulls the pamphlet from Miss Pillbury office out of her bag, and hands it to Tina. "We're ally really worried," Rachel says sweetly.

Artie looks over at Tina. He looks at the clock. Her hands tremble in her lap, and she looks like she just drank a blue flavored slushie. She looks a little glassy eyed. He remembers the classes in the hospital, the greater danger of diabetes. "Tina," he says with a quaver in his voice, "You need to eat something."

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_Long Chapter, I know! I wanted to get all 12 members in, though. __On a side note, there is a long standing debate with a friend of mine: (1) Is blue a flavor? (2) Is it a GOOD flavor?_ _Please review and let me know!_


	16. Chapter 16

Tina doesn't know what's happening to her. She feels a little bit like she swallowed a vibrator. Her whole body is shaking. Her head is fuzzy. Her heart is pounding in her chest, running a thousand miles a minute. She is hyper sensitive to everything, and yet oddly disconnect.

Everyone has been telling her how much they love her, and how worried they are about her weight loss. Rachel gives her a pamphlet about Bulimia she clearly took from Ms. Pillsbury's office. Tina isn't sure how to respond. She's not really sure what to do. Artie's words register. He knows what's going on, but he wants her to eat, too? He knows that she can't eat unless she's taken her insulin, which she… Oh shit.

Artie wonders if he's too late. He remembers the things the nurse drilled into their heads in the hospital. Sugar, no fat. Soda, Starburst, Juice, glucose tabs, never chocolate or cookies. He fishes in his bag, and finds a dollar. "Quinn," his voice is tight, "Can you do me a favor?" He trusts the former Cheerio because she already knows the score. "Go to the vending machine in the cafeteria and get me a regular coke. Make sure it's regular," he emphasizes. Diet will do no good.

Quinn leaves quickly. The cafeteria is emptying, but she goes to the coke machine in the hall. She argues with it, working to force feed the crumpled dollar into the slot. She presses the button for Coke, but the EMPTY light comes on. She tries Dr. Pepper, which she has seen Tina drink, but the machine is out, too. She makes a third selection, praying that it will work. The machine spits out a can of Sprite. Quinn hurries back to the choir room.

Artie pops the tab on the can, and hands it to Tina. "Drink," he tells her. His voice is commanding, and she obeys. She drinks quickly, gulping the can down in three swallows. She holds the empty can, until Artie takes it away. From the weight, he can tell she's finished it. Belatedly, he looks at the can. There is so much sugar there, three times what she needs.

The rest of the Glee club stares in astonishment, as Artie hurls the offending, now empty can, into the recycling bin. Rachel smiles. She hopes the intervention has worked. She will know it is successful when Tina doesn't run to the bathroom to throw up after drinking the soda. It's loaded with empty calories, but calories are good. If Tina can keep this down, she will be find, Rachel believes.

Puck watches suspiciously. He remembers his Nana, and the way her hands used to shake. She would go into the kitchen, and pour herself a glass of orange juice. His Nana could throw back shots of the juice like a pro, not even seeming to taste it before swallowing. Nana would stop shaking afterward, and she would become more lucid. Tina just swallowed that sprite the way his Nana would drink her juice. He begins to wonder if Rachel has gotten this intervention thing wrong.

Quinn and Artie wait with bated breath. Tina's lips start turning their normal, rosy color again. Artie says a quick prayer of thanks that she didn't bother putting on black lipstick this morning. Her hands are no longer shaking.

Tina is fumbling in her bag, and she produces the little black kit the nurse gave her in the hospital. Ignoring the rest of the Glee club, she fished one of the small plastic strips from the bottle and presses it into the machine. A click, and a drop of blood has appeared on her pinky. The strip sucks some, but not all of the blood away. Tina presses her bleeding finger into the black fabric inside the case, and watches as the numbers count down. Artie leans over, and watches too.

Five. Four. Three. Two. One.

Black numbers flash on the screen. 69. Tina has experienced her first low. She leans over and kisses Artie on the cheek. He is her knight in shinning armor.

Puck is now convinced of his suspicions. He decides that he will corner Tina later. Now, he has a date with Santana in the janitor's closet. He leaves, arm in arm with the Latina. Mercedes ushers Brittany to class. Mat, Mike, Kurt, and Finn drift away. Rachel has already left, confident that her intervention is successful.

Artie, Quinn and Tina remain in the choir room. None of them are fully aware of what they have escaped. Only Tina will fully understand, and that will come later. In a few months, her parents will send her to camp. It will suck, because the girls will be stuck up, and Tina is old for camp. But, there, she will watch one of her cabin mates go low, although the councilors will call it hypoglycemia. The girl will faint and seize before intervention occurs.


	17. Chapter 17

Jacob Ben Israel finishes his masterpiece. He holds it in his blog file. He won't spring it, yet. He needs the correct incentive to hold onto this little piece of information. He saves the file under password protection. He doesn't think that most of the Gleeks are smart enough to figure out how to retrieve the file, but he wants to be careful anyway. Brittany and Finn might be dumber than rocks, but Rachel is smart, crafty and hot.

Jacob uncomfortably adjusts his pants. He looks over at his girlfriend and gives her a nervous smile. Jacob and Lauren Zizes have been dating since that vampire attack. It was unnerving, but also kind of hot… almost as hot as the time Rachel Berry gave him a pair of his panties. Thinking about Rachel Berry's underwear does _not_ help his current problem, not that he cares particularly much.

He considers the price of his silence. Tina isn't his type… he goes for a girl with a little more meat on his bones. There's always money or social climbing, though. He wonders what he can get out of little Tina. Maybe the threat of her secret going public will force her to spill about someone else. Jacob would _love_ to get something on Mercedes, Santana, or … Puck.

Jacob corners Tina by her locker. Its between second and third period. She's alone. Artie is back in his adaptive PE class, and he always uses as much of the break as possible to shower and change. He's frequently late for third period. Kurt and Mercedes are off dealing with a fashion emergency of epic proportions. Kurt has just lost a button.

"I know your secret!" Jacob taunted. "And, it will cost you to keep it quiet."

Tina turned white. "W-w-what?" Her stutter returned as terror filled her. She hasn't told anyone but Artie. She wonders if Quinn suspects something. But, maybe the former Cheerio just assumed, correctly, that a hospital trip would result in one or more IVs. She doesn't have the guts to tell the others. She knows they've accepted her quirky goth style, and the gradual loss of her stutter, but she doesn't know how they'll react to a chronic disease.

"I know your secret," Jacob repeats as if she's stupid.

"How?" Tina demands. She will kill Artie if he told Jacob Ben Israel. The boy has the biggest mouth in the school. Everyone knows that he's the one who sold out Quinn to Coach Sylvester.

"I saw your … paraphernalia in your bag." Jacob sounds matter of fact. Good. Artie didn't tell him. But, what could he have seen? Tina thinks about what she that's distinct. Nothing, really. Oh, God, he's good. "I need twenty bucks today, to pay Puckerman. I'll take that as a down payment on your silence."

Tina fumbles in her pocket. "I d-don't have any m-money." It's a slight lie. A crumpled one lies at the bottom of her pocket. Tina carries it as a good luck, a talisman against another low.

"Then you'd better find some," Jacob says, his voice threatening. "You have until sixth."

Tina watches the boy with the Jew-fro disappear into the crowd of students. Her stomach is in her shoes. It's a good thing he's approached her now, and not later, she reflects, because she's not sure she'll be able to eat her lunch.

She considers going to her class. The teacher might notice if she's gone, but probably not. The McKinley teachers aren't very good about noticing absenteeism. Tina walks blindly toward the choir room. It's a safe place. She can sit, and figure out how to answer Jacob's challenge. She could ask Artie for help, but he's been so good to her already. Maybe Kurt will lend her the money. He's always flush from his afterschool job. Not for the first time, Tina wishes that her afterschool job watching the children of her mother's legal aid clients paid a little better. And, by a little better, Tina means at all.


	18. Chapter 18

_A/N: So, I've driven across four states today, and I've been in five in the last three days. I'm a little fried. But, luckily, I like to write ahead! So, here is chapter 18. Hope you enjoy!

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_Puck and Santana are hot and heavy in the janitor's closet during their daily third period make out session. Her lips are soft against his, and she rubs his cheek. Santana is glad that Puck stays clean shaven. Oh, he would look hella hot with a day's growth on that chin, but she thinks the stumble would be too much for her. Puck's skillful tongue explores the crevices of her mouth, while his equally skillful hands work their way up toward her bra. Noah Puckerman is insanely skilled at taking off bras with one hand. Santana only wishes he were mores killed at putting them back on.

Suddenly, the door opens. Puck and Santana fly apart like the poles of magnets. Its hard to disguise what you're doing when you're caught in the janitor's closet with your pants half unbuttoned. They wait in the semi darkness, praying not to be seen. The janitor finds a plunger and mop, mutter all the while about hats in toilets. Puck has a sneaking suspicion that Kurt has lost one of his favorites. The door closes, and the teens wait in darkness, counting their heartbeats.

"That was too close," Santana complains. "If Coach Sylvester catches me…" the threat hangs between them. Puck silently agrees, but he doesn't have the voice to do so, yet. His heart is still pounding a tattoo in his chest. They move to the choir room. No one should catch them, since its empty at this time of day.

Puck's hand is again sliding up the back of Santana's tight Cheerio's top. She's straddling him, gently nibbling on his lip. Puck thinks he's going crazy, the hormones are so high.

Then, a creaking sound. Puck looks up to see who is entering. He's expecting Brittany. The blond has a tendency to interrupt impromptu make out sessions. Of course, that isn't all bad. She and Santana are both hot, and watching the two of them together really turns Puck on.

Santana turns to see who has disrupted their play. She's expecting Brittany. But, instead its Tina, the quiet Goth from Glee. Santana notices a distinct resemblance to a raccoon. Tears have made the heavy black mascara and eye liner pool in the remnants of the dark circles under Tina's eyes, and run down her cheeks. Santana isn't sure she's ever seen the asian girl cry.

Puck pushes Santana off his lap. The blinding flood of hormones dissipates. Part of him wants to yell at Tina, to tell her to go somewhere else. Then, he sees her tears. Suddenly, Puck is transformed from all around bad ass to protective older brother. He might hate his sister most of the time, but if anyone comes within an inch of her, he WILL kill them. Puck feels the same sort of protective rage swell toward Tina. He will find who ever made her cry, and that person will pay.

Santana gently drapes her arm around the smaller girl, walking her to a seat. "Its okay," she says in the most comforting voice she can find. Santana isn't very good at comforting people. She usually leaves that to weak people, like Man Hands Berry. Apparently, she worse than she thinks, because her words just make Tina cry harder.

"What happened?" Puck asks. He hopes that its not Wheel's fault, again. He likes Artie, and beating up a kid in a wheelchair is a douche move. Not that Puck isn't one, but lately, he's started to have his limits.

"J-J-Jacob," Tina manages to get out. Puck isn't sure if her stutter has returned because of her traumatic encounter.

Puck saunters out of the room. The only thing that can make Noah Puckerman run is food … or the screams of his baby mama in labor. He is on the war path. Puck will find Jacob Ben Isreal, and beat the shit out of the littler boy until Jacob tells him what was said that upset Tina so much.

This leaves Santana to clean up the mess. The Latina tries soothing words again. "It'll be okay," she tries. This always works with Brittany. Usually, though, Brittany will tell her what's happened, and then Santana can calm her, and go beat up the person responsible. If she's completely honest, San would rather clobber someone … or completely destroy them, depending on the person's gender, than pick up the pieces.

"It's n-not going to be okay," Tina's voice shakes. "Jacob knows…"

"Jacob knows what?" Santana is curious what the little rat had discovered.

"Jacob knows about me… about why I was so sick…" Tina's voice trails off. Santana sits beside the Goth girl, putting a gentle hand on her shoulder. Then, she finds herself pulling out tissues as Tina spills her guts.


	19. Chapter 19

The words flow out of Tina's mouth. They tumble, and eddy and flow. Its like Santana's actions have caused a dam to burst, and now Tina can't stop the river from coming. She talks quickly, going into as much detail as she thinks the Cheerio can handle. San is a good listener, nodding sympathetically at all the right places. Finally, the torrent of words slows, and Tina wipes her eyes. "You're not going to tell anyone, will you?" She's so venerable. How can Santana say anything but yes?

The bell rings. Fourth period is over. Lunch time. Tina has been dreading this all day. She's stabilized, and she's gaining weight again. Weight gain requires eating, which in turn requires injections. She gets up to leave, expecting Santana to stay behind in the choir room. She's surprised when the Cheerio walks with her to the nurse's office.

Artie is waiting outside, too. He takes her hand in his, and squeezes her fingers. "You can do this," he tells her quietly. Tina isn't sure that she has his faith.

She leaves her friends behind, and walks into the office. She can draw the dose, but she isn't sure she can put the needle in. The feeling of the metal slipping past her skin is too much. She paces, the capped syringe waiting on top of the fridge. She can do this, she can do this. She CAN'T do this.

Suddenly, Artie is in the office with her. He sits her down, and takes her arm in one hand. Without a word, he slides the needle into her arm, and pushes the plunger down. A finger covers the exit spot. Artie hands Tina the capped syringe, his hand still on her arm. She destroys it, pulling the plunger out of the plastic casing before throwing the capped needle in the sharps container and the white plastic plunger in the trash.

As they go to lunch, Tina wonders what would have happened if Artie _wasn't _there. She resolves that she will learn to do this by herself, if it kills her.

Puck finds Jacob out by the dumpsters. He grabs the snitch by the collar. "What did you say to the Asian to make her cry?" He demands. Puck has never bothered to learn Tina's name. He doesn't usually do that until a girl's tongue has explored his tonsils at least three times, and she's a one man girl.

A wide smile spread's across Jacob's face. Puck isn't expecting that. "Oh, this is too good!" The boy with the Jew-fro cries. "You're her dealer, aren't you, Puckerman?" He whines on the last syllable.

Puck tightens his grip on Jacob's collar. Sure, he's tried pot. Chronic Lady helped them get Artie to regionals. But, Puck doesn't have the initiative to deal. That would require contacts, responsibility.

"What are you giving her?" Jacob asks. "Coke? Heroine?"

"No!" Puck hisses, his voice reflecting nerves strung as tight as a sharp guitar string. His careful control will break soon. When it does, Jacob will be in trouble. God help him, he might do pot, but he will never do the hard stuff. He has too many memories of growing with an addict father. Puck is NOT a Lima Looser. "She's _not_ doing drugs." He insists in the same scary tone.

It seems to be having an affect on Jacob, because the small boy turns white. It doesn't stop him from opening his mouth. "Of course she is," he insists. "I saw a syringe in her bag."

Puck feels a swell of fear in his chest. He remembers how his mother and Nana fought to stop his grandmother from using insulin. It's a medication that can only be delivered by injection. He remembers the small plastic package of orange capped needles in his grandmother's cupboard, next to the bag of prunes. If Asian is on the medication, she must be really sick. He forces Jacob up against the side of the dumpster. He's racking his brain for a convincing lie.

"It's for allergy shots," Puck finally offers. He wishes his mother still had a job with health insurance. His little sister could go back to getting the weekly allergy shots that prevent her from snoring. Its hard enough for Puck to sleep on the couch in the living room of the little apartment. Its even worse now that his sister snores every night.

Jacob laughs. "You're a liar," he accuses.

Puck throws him against the dumpster again. "I'm telling the truth," he insists, his anger a coiled spring of force behind his words. "And, it doesn't matter, because you're not going to tell a soul."

Jacob looks frightened. Puck is pleased with his work. He walks Jacob over to the flagpole, and to make the sure the message has sunk in, carefully re-enacts the patriotic wedgie. Jacob is actually easier to lift up the flagpole than Artie was, Puck is surprised to discover. A jumping victim aids in upward momentum.


	20. Chapter 20

_A/N: I wasn't going to do this, and then I had to get a number off my email, and I saw all the alerts and comments... so here I am, posting again. Yep, FanFic comments are like crack. Writing this is like crack... But... I only have one more chapter pre written! So, I will have to get on that after I move in!

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A weeks passes. Jacob isn't the one who tells Tina's secret. She is. She gets up the guts the next week in Glee, and makes the announcement, a la Puck with Beth. Only, Tina doesn't sing. She bursts into tears. Her friends crowd around her, hugging her and offering condolences. The hardest part is explaining the idea to Brittany. Luckily, Artie is there to back her up. If she thought explaining the vampirism thing and blood banks had been hard, Tina knew this would be a thousand times worse. Brittany's first reaction was to cry, worrying that her friend would die. Once it was cleared up that Tina wouldn't actually die for a long time, Brittany was okay with the rest of it.

Tina gets more and more comfortable with her changes lifestyle. Yes, she acknowledges that it sucks that she and Artie have to carefully schedule any dinner dates, but she figures that the rigid schedule is better than being dead. Her parents start nagging her about normal things again, although a reminder to test her blood sugar has been added. The argue about things like Drivers Ed, and sectionals. Tina's parents aren't sure how they feel about their daughter being so far from home for the day. She'll be away during dinner time, when she takes her second long acting shot.

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As soon as Mercedes knows about her friend's condition, she and Kurt make a plan. Mercedes' dad treats a few diabetic patients, and she remembers last year the dental office selling brightly colored paper sneakers. Mercedes does a quick internet search. Britt might be mystified by the location of the ON button, and Finn might only recognize a computer as a tool for game play, but Mercedes know her way around Google.

She is both surprised and excited to learn that the Lima chapter of the Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation has their annual walk for the cure in a few weeks. Mercedes prints off a few copies of the pledge pamphlet and registration. She approaches her parents toward the end of dinner. They've bantering back and forth. Her mother is one of the puniest people Mercedes knows, unable to stop herself when a joke pops into her head. Her father is chuckling at his wife's humor. Mercedes is no good at puns. Her brother got all their mother's skill. She likes to watch them go back and forth. Mother and son hold the infamous family recording of spending two hours punning over circus animals.

"Mom, Dad," Mercedes voice is full of confidence. Her parents turn to her to listen. "There's this thing in a couple weeks, and I want to go." She pushes the print outs toward her parents. "You know, for Tina."

Mercedes parents know about Tina. Her mother tends to respond to tragedy in families by buying books, so she rushed out to Barnes and Noble as soon as Mercedes returned home with the news. The next day, Mercedes was sent to carry three wrapped books and a lasagna over to the Cohen-Chang house.

"I don't see why not," Her mother says. "I'm happy for you to do this."

Her father thinks a while longer. "It says here most people walk as teams," he says. "I don't want my baby girl to go alone. If you have a team of atleast five people, I don't see why you can't do it."

Mercedes hugs her parents. "Thanks!" She says, kissing them on the cheeks. Then, she clears the table, washes and dries all the dishes without being asked.

Artie is easy to recruit for her team. He'll do anything to help Tina. She calls him as soon as the last plate is put away, and tells him where to find the information. He agrees almost immediately, on the condition that he doesn't have to do any work beyond fundraising.

Kurt and Quinn are not much harder to convince. Kurt's main complaint seems to lie in the video of Nick Jonas on the website. He practically screams into the phone, telling Mercedes that he will not walk with a group know as the marching mullets. However, after reassurance that another name can be found, Kurt agrees. He votes for the name Ped-a-Cure, on the condition that he gets his nails done. Quinn isn't sure how to broach the topic with her mother. She doesn't know much about the organization, but her mother has a tendency to listen to the gospel of Fox News. If the organization doesn't have media approval, Mrs. Fabray won't allow her daughter to attend.

Mercedes racks her brain for a fifth member. She'd like to include Tina, but she isn't ready to broach the subject with her female bestie. Tina gets nervous or angry any time the condition is mentioned. She squirms in her seat in chemistry when glucose is mentioned. She practically ran out of the room in history when the names Banting and Best came up. So, Mercedes approaches someone she knows she can rely on for help: Will Shuester.

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_A/N: This chapter has been really hard to write. Its gone through about three re-writes… all while I'm packing and cleaning for my move. I'm sorry if the voice isn't perfect Mercedes, I just have trouble writing diva. For those wondering, (1) Nick Jonas is doing the Walk to Cure diabetes video. Information can be found at www (dot) jdrf (dot) org. (2) Ped-a-Cure is my family team. Members are REQUIRED to have brightly colored toenails... including my rather masculine 15 year old brother. Its highly amusing trying to corner him so we can paint his gnarly nails pink. The only family member exempt is the dog. My parents say that it would be cruelty to animals. I just think they don't want red polish on the carpet... or the grass. (3) Banting and Best were the Canadian scientists who discovered insulin in the 1920's. _


	21. Chapter 21

**DISCLAIMER:** **I am not a member of the Canadian Band The Arrogent Worms. That would require me to be a middle aged man with Canadian citizenship. Since I am an American woman, it should be obvious that I do not own the rights to the song, "Me Like Hockey" quoted in this chapter. Sadly, I do not own the rights to Firefly, or Serenity, either. The show would have lasted WAY MORE than 13 episodes and a full length movie. And, as you already know, I do not own Glee. If I did, I wouldn't be writing fanfic, now would I?**

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**Kurt watches nervously as Finn carries the large plastic tub of t-shirts down the stairs. He swears, if his almost step brother marks up the walls, he will make Finn go over them with a magic eraser sponge. Mercedes follows, carrying a sewing bag with scissors sticking out the side. Rachel Berry comes next, chatting almost amicably with Matt. Rachel says something about Spring Awakening, which causes him to frown. Kurt isn't sure he wants to see the rock musical, either. Too many dead people.

Kurt wonders why Matt has been included in this little party. He and Mercedes are involved in their capacity as the club's co-costume designers. Kurt had wanted the position for himself, exclusively, but his bestie had insisted. She kept him in check, making sure that he didn't spend too much of the club's tiny budget buying bump-its for Regionals. In return, he showed her how to knit and taught her to sew a button hole, two skills her mother had never mastered.

Finn lives with Kurt, so his presence is unavoidable. Actually, though, its not a bad thing Finn is in attendance. He is always good at ferreting out junk food stashed upstairs. Kurt also assumes that Finn has a talent for sewing on difficult fabrics. A certain red vinyl dress comes to mind. Carol Hudson sure as hell hadn't made it.

Rachel Berry is obviously present for two reasons. One, being Rachel, and the co-captain of New Directions, she feels she must involve herself in _every _organized activity in which the club engages. Secondly, Finn is present. Rachel can't seem to get enough of the young giant since regionals. Kurt also suspects that she's kind of lonely. The slushie attacks have diminished over the last year, but Rachel's abrasive personality has prevented her from forming more than superficial friendships.

That still leaves the question of Matt. Kurt isn't sure he's heard the football player utter more than five consecutive words, ever. Even that time that everyone was hyped up on the vitamins Mrs. Shuester gave them, Matt stayed quiet. Sure, he'd worn a manic smile on his face, and giggled like a lunatic, but he hadn't said much.

Kurt shoots a questioning glance to Mercedes. She ignores him, too busy plugging her iPod into Kurt's sound system. She sets the iPod to shuffle, and starts unpacking the box of shirts Finn carried. The quarterback has gone upstairs to forage for provisions, a task which seems to satisfy his manly pride. Kurt doesn't have the hear to tell him that they are no longer living in the stone age, and there is no need to be a hunter-gatherer. Cookies simply are not as crafty as wild mushrooms.

Mercedes lays out the shirts she has acquired for Glee performances. In the beginning, she and Kurt would just give everyone a general idea of what to wear for their performances, leaving the details up to each individual. It had worked well when the club was small, and the budget smaller, but Brittany was constantly loosing or forgetting her costume, and Puck had complained about the cost of the clothes, so she eventually caved.

Now, Mercedes has acquired a tub of t-shirts in a variety of colors and sizes. She pulls out stacks of shirts in colors frequently seen in an 8 pack of Crayola markers. There is RED!, YELLOW!, BLUE! and GREEN!. Mercedes knows she could use another color, the walk video she watched online features a few teams in a truly atrocious neon green, but she doubts that Kurt would okay the decision. He is a winter.

The music switches from Joan Armatrading to "Me Like Hockey" by the Arrogant Worms. Mercedes brother had given her the music on his last visit home. She wasn't sure she would like the group, but their clever lyrics are pretty catchy. Rachel frowns. Mercedes can't tell is she dislikes the music, but then the brunette points to the yellow. "Yellow makes people look jaundiced," she tells Mercedes. Mercedes packs the shirts back into the tote.

Besides Mercedes, Matt is sketching a design as he chants the lyrics. "Sit right down in favorite chair, wearing only underwear, favorite night is Saturday night, 'cause me can watch hockey fights," Mike chants in perfect unison with the guttural sounding Canadian.

Finn comes down the stairs, baring a package of cookies and some juice. He listens to the song for a few minutes, then laughs. "This reminds me of Karosky and Azimo," he announces. "Except that they can't sing."

"Me too," Agrees Rachel, after judicial consideration, "Although the musicians are a little too verbose for those Neanderthals." Everyone, even quiet Mike, laugh.

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Matt is surprised at how long it takes to make costumes, especially when Kurt and Mercedes look at each other in almost tearful delight when they finish in just five hours. Mercedes has converted fifteen of the red t-shirts, the only color to meet Rachel's approval, into a design appropriate for the walk. Matt's sketch, scanned and reversed by Mercedes, is ironed in place on the back of the shirts. After Finn scorched one extra large, Kurt insisted on taking over from the larger boy.

So, Finn had watched, doppy expression on his face. Matt has noticed that Finn wears the expression a lot. He assumes that the quarterback is either frequently confused, or that is just he defult expression. Matt hopes that it's the later. The QB is supposed to be the smartest guy on the field. Something tells him that if Finn Hudson is the smartest guy in the McKinley program, that they're all in bad shape. Then again, he has to remind himself, look at Notre Dame. No one would ever accuse Jimmy Klauson of being the sharpest crayon in the box… not that it helped his team much. Matt, a closet Irish fan, credited most of their wins to the amazing Golden Tate.

Rachel joined Finn on the small love seat, in her capacity as supervisor. After a few complaints about Mercedes' music (too much R&B and Rap, not enough show tunes), Kurt had suggested switching iPods. Matt had shyly volunteered his own. It amuses no end that Mercedes is now humming "The Hero of Canton." Maybe, one of these days, Matt will invite her over to his basement lair for a showing of Firefly. He's sure she's familiar with Buffy, but the five seasons of the vampire slayer have nothing on the thirteen episodes of the Sci-Fi Western.

"Our love for him now ain't hard to explain, the hero of canton, the man they call Jayne," Matt finds himself harmonizes with Mercedes's imitation of the country twang. She holds up a finished shirt for his approval.

He's typing out an email drafted between Mercedes and Kurt. He shouldn't be able to read the chaotic scrawl that represents their combined writing, but his younger brother is disgraphic. The form of dyslexia meant that sometimes not even Kevin could actually read the letters he had written. Matt's brother recognized the shape he had tried to make, and identified the character. Interestingly, his handwriting was neater in the Japanese Kanji Matt had taught him. Matt liked learning Japaneese. It made reading manga online so much easier.

"I like it," Matt says, quietly. He's getting more comfortable talking in the basement. He might even start talking in Glee. He'll never be as loud as Rachel, but he could say more.

Mercedes gets Rachel and Kurt's approval. Finn is otherwise distracted, arguing with Dominos about getting delivery of a vegan pizza.

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_A/N: I'm thinking about doing a one shot about Matt and his secret anime/manga habit. It depends on three things: (1) Interest, (2) Inspiration and (3) Time. Also, please don't hate on my team... I know they sucked, but its not actually about the football for me, its about the spirit.  
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	22. Chapter 22

_A/N: I don't have internet as I'm writing this, it being a holiday weekend in a strange housing situation, and I have no knowledge of early video games. So, I'm guessing on the release of Super Mario Brothers. I may try to correct this when I get somewhere with internet. Also, __I'd like to let the anonymous poster who commented on chapter 20 know that you made my day. I would have loved to write you back, but since you're anonymous, I can't. I almost cried. I was afraid to write this story at first… But, I'm glad if its helping you._

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* * *

_

"Com'mon, Tee, we haven't had a sleepover in forever," Mercedes wheedles. She knows that Tina is powerless to resist offers of sleeping bags and late night gossip. The girl might have had a stutter for five years, and never had a close friend before she joined Glee, but somehow, Tina has become obsessed with the idea. Mercedes wonders if its because Tina is an only child, and never had to share a bed with a snoring, kicking rotating sibling on a road trip with the family. Mercedes' older brother used to rotate so he was sleeping perpendicular to the normal position in the bed, and mutter about cheese.

It's the day before the walk. Mercedes decided it would be fun to have a sleepover with the team shortly after she planned their participation. The idea is also designed to insure that everyone arrives on time to the location. No one can say they woke up too late for the eight am registration time if they're all in one place. The only members of the Glee club walk team who have agreed to participate who will not sleep over are Mr. Shue and Miss Pillsburry, but Mercedes has suspicions they may have their own sleepover… The female members of the Glee club have yet to spend an entire night together, and as far as she knows, neither have the boys. She thought about broaching the idea of a co-ed sleepover, but none of the parents to whom she proposed the idea were willing. Her mother turned a brilliant shade of purple, and asked if she wanted to end up like Quinn, bless her soul. Mrs. Cohen looked askance. Her husband said that Tina is a nice Korean girl, and nice girls don't spend the night with boys.

Kurt posed a problem during the secret negotiations. Kurt thought he should be invited to the girls' party. Kurt insisted he was a girl. Ms. Cohen insisted that he was a boy, and therefore should go to the boy's party. Burt Hummel had entered the negotiations, countering that Kurt preferred to spend time with the girls. Ms. Cohen had pulled out a lawyers coup de grace by saying that Kurt should be with the boys because (1) Kurt has a penis and a Y chromosome and (2) the only person with a penis and a Y chromosome who was spending the night in the building with her daughter will be Mr. Cheng. She added that if Kurt didn't have either of the characteristics specified in condition one, that she didn't want to know. Mr. Hummel and Kurt gave in.

"I can't," Tina says, her voice hard. She isn't ready to go to someone else's house to sleepover. Her friends know about her disease, but she is afraid. What if she goes low in the middle of the night? What if her glass insulin bottles break? What if she forgets something, or doesn't know what to give herself for her food?

"What about at your place?" Mercedes suggest. The trap is laid, since Tina's place has been the plan all along.

"Umm… I don't know." Tina is suddenly on edge."I guess I could ask my mother." Tina prays her mother will say no. If people come over to her house, they may go upstairs. The Cohen-Chengs keep their secrets at the top of the stairs Downstairs, they are a perfect family. Upstairs, they fight, they make love, they mourn their dead. Tina's mother goes upstairs to cry when she can't stand the way her clients have been treated anymore. Its where her father goes to argue with Uncle Hyuk about their mother. Upstairs is where Tina dusts the empty, black nursery. Tina can't remember the last time a guest made it past the imposing marble banister.

Tina makes the call at lunch, her fingers shaking as she punches the familiar numbers. "M-mom?" She asks, her voice shaking. Tina still stutters a little when she's really nervous. Its like she's forgotten she doesn't really have a stutter and reverts to the old habit.

"Is everything okay, Tiny?" Her mom asks. A mother's fear clenches in Liz Cohen's chest. She prays that this isn't an emergency call. Thoughts of the sleepover fly out of her mind as she hears the tremor in her daughter's voice.

"Mom, can I have a sleepover tonight? At our house?" Tina asks, nervously. Her mother is silent for a moment. Part of Tina prays she will say yes, and surprise her daughter. Part of the girl hopes that she will say no.

"I don't see why not," Tina's mother says. "As long as you keep the house clean, and you're all up by nine am."

"Fine," Tina agrees, convinced that no one will want to come over to a house where they have to be awake by the ungodly early hour on a non school day. She is surprised when Mercedes agrees. She is even more surprised when Mercedes, Quinn, Rachel, Brittany and a surly Santana arrive at her house at five o'clock that afternoon.

Artie rolls his eyes. "It won't be that lame, Puck," he defends his house. "I do have a couple game systems and a TV."

"Yeah, but you don't have Hummel's big screen," Puck complains.

"What do you want to do, watch your soaps?" Finn teases his friend. The two still aren't back to where they were before last school year, but they can atleast stand to be in the same room with each other. Tire slashing and defending of honor can go a long way to repair a damaged relationship.

"No!" Puck snarls. "But, I'm replaying Super Mario Bros, because they have the star levels."

"Didn't you beat those in, like, fifth grade?" Matt asked.

"Maybe," Puck says. "But, I'm playing them again."

" I have brawl," Artie dangles as an incentive. He's surprised that Puck hasn't contested the no alcohol rule, only the lack of Mario. "And, my mom made peanut butter cookies." Artie watches in amusement as Kurt starts salivating. Kurt has a strict cookie policy. He doesn't usually eat them, because of the amount of refined sugar. But, even he has contested the sheer awesomeness of Mrs. Abram's peanut butter cookies.

"Fine," Puck grumbles, the last to agree to the sleepover location. Artie is glad. He knows he can't spend tonight anywhere other than home.


	23. Chapter 23

_A/N: This chapter and the next chapter will be fluffy… or at least as fluffy as I get. I think I may be an angst whore. Of course, there will be minimal angst, but think about every single Glee has a sleepover fic you've read, and you get the idea. The chapters kind of write themselves, though, and I want this in here. So… bear with me. I promise there is more to come. I have a plan for 4 – 5 more chapters after this one.

* * *

_Brittany watches as Tina pads silently into the kitchen. The rest of the girls are circling in on the large sandwich, but Tina seems to want something else. Maybe she's going to get some blood from the blood bank? But, maybe the bank was out of blood, so Tina got something else? Brittany wonders when the blood bank is open. She thinks they must have an ATM machine, because otherwise it would be hard for Tina and her misogynist father to get their food. Brittany watches as Santana snatches a bag of her favorite Sea Salt and Vinegar chips off the table. Brittany likes Barbecue better. The other ones taste like her armpit … in a bad way.

Brittany follows Tina to the kitchen. She wants to see the blood in the refrigerator. Instead, she watches from the shadows as Tina's parents set out a series of small glass vials and a red container. Tina complains quietly to her mom about leaving the party as she fills a syringe from one of the bottles. Brittany wishes that she could complain to her mom, but her parents got divorced when she was seven. Brittany lives in Lima with her dad, her little brother, and Ballad. Her mom travels all over the world, and speaks seven languages. Unfortunately, none of them let her understand people. She usually makes everyone angry before she leaves. Sometimes, Brittany wishes she were smarter, like her mom. Most of the time, she's happy she lives with her dad and doesn't have to worry about it. Brittany is surprised when Tina sticks the needle into her stomach. She runs back to the party, pretending she hasn't just seen her friend give herself drugs.

Quinn stretches out across the large couch in the Cohen-Cheng family room. She flushes slightly as she remembers Tina and Artie curled together on this same couch, that strange day she invaded their lives. Quinn feels like she might be approaching a food baby… not that being full feels remotely like being pregnant. The girls of New Directions are finishing the last of a massive sub Mr. Cheng picked up on his way home from work, making quick work of the last few pieces. Only Rachel refuses to eat from the large braid, but Tina's parents planned in advance. Instead, the brunette diva munches on a rolled pita holding steaming falafel. The satisfied sounds from her corner of the room suggest that Rachel is a fan of this savory middle eastern patty.

Tina smiles as she watches her teammates eat. No one has complained about sandwiches instead of a more traditional pizza. In fact, Rachel tells Tina that she has provided an excellent spread to keep their bodies and voices healthy. This is the highest praise Rachel has ever given anyone for food, as far as Tina knows. Tina is glad that no one has considered the meal anything out of the ordinary. She doesn't eat pizza, anymore. Even without considering the cramping she gets from her lactose intolerance, the Cohen-Changs have discovered that Pizza has an unfortunate, and somewhat unique, tendency to make Tina's blood sugars spike hours later. Rather than risk their daughter's discomfort, her parents made alternate arrangements.

* * *

Mike's eyes widened as Mrs. Abrams sets out the jar of homemade chocolate sauce. It sits steaming next to the jar of homemade caramel sauce. Her movements are smooth and practiced, as though she has done this a thousand times, but her mind seems to be elsewhere. Mrs. Abrams hand hesitates as she reaches into the freezer yet again.

"No nuts, Mom," Artie reminds her in a gentler voice than anything Mike has ever heard. "Remember, I told you, Kurt is allergic." Mrs. Abrams wordlessly moves to a cabinet over the hood on the stove, and removes a bag of chocolate chips and another with multicolored sprinkles. Artie frowns. Mike wonders if he's embarrassed about the colors. Artie produces ice cream from the freezer: chocolate, vanilla, heath, moose trax.

Mike hesitates only a minute before he begins covering the brownie in the bottom of his bowl with ice cream and toppings. The frozen treat melts against the hot baked good underneath, and the solidifying sauce on top. Sprinkles and chocolate chips stick to the gummy sauces. Mike finds himself dodging Puck and Finn's elbows as they pile scoops into their bowls. Kurt flits in and out of the crowd around the island, filling his bowl as full as the others. Only Artie sits back, waiting for the others to finish. Mike can't decide if he's waiting to be polite, or if he's trying to avoid a black eye. Maybe its both.

Artie shifts nervously, watching his classmates pile ice cream on top of homemade brownies. He can see sisters, Becca and little Cecy, out of the corner of his eye. They're hiding just outside the kitchen door, waiting for their turn at dessert. He gives them an encouraging smile. His parents have instructed the girls to stay out of the way of his friends tonight. Artie isn't sure how he feels about Noah Puckerman, instigator of the famous Port-a-potty incident, being considered his friend. But, Artie has learned over the years that argument with his mother is futile. So, he leaves the designation alone.

Finally, he can approach the kitchen island without concern for bruising. Kurt Hummel might look dainty, but Artie knows for a fact that he has some of the sharpest elbows in Lima, Ohio. And, while he doesn't mind the girls in his lap, Artie figures Finn Hudson might injure him.

The boys move to the living room en mass with their ice cream. Mrs. Abrams doesn't seem to worry about drips on her carpet, the way Mike's grandma would. She just watches her son and his guests with a placid, almost dreamy expression on her face. Matt hurriedly connects the game system, plugging in the old fashioned controllers to the Wi. The players could use Wi remotes, but it makes game play harder. The boys settle in for a night of cursing, sound effects and the cries of "Dee Dee Dee" every time Finn's character makes a hit.


	24. Chapter 24

_A/N: I apologize profusely for the long delay in posting. I have been more or less without a computer for the better part of a week. I now have a charger, and can continue writing (and reading) fanfic in peace and privacy. So... full speed ahead._ _As previously noted, I am NOT a video game expert. I have spent the better part of a year sitting on the floor of a dorm room, watching a group of six boys swear, and argue over, many of the games I mention, although, I may have been otherwise occupied with biochemistry at the time. So, I apologies for any mistakes I may make._

_

* * *

_Matt gets bored with the game play quickly. He likes video games, but he prefers action to straight fighting. He's spent hours with RPGs. Assassin's Creed satisfies his secret love of all things historical. The boys rotate the order of battle play. Loser forfeits his game controller. At worst, one plays every three rounds. At best, he gets to play straight through. Puck is approaching is fifteenth winning round when Kurt once again gets a controller. He chooses the highly effeminate Pokemon, Jiggly Puff. Matt wouldn't have thought it possible, but Kurt's adapt skill with the controller allows him to kill both Puck and Finn before either can do much damage. Kurt is down one life, Artie two, when they become the only competitors.

It comes down to a battle between Kurt and Artie. It's a little distracting to have Matt sitting next to him, yelling "Falcon PUNCH!" every time Artie's character takes a shot, but Matt is enjoying himself anyway. Suddenly, the boredom of watching other people play a stupid fighting game has dissipated, and its exciting to see the two members of the Glee club he never expected to school _anyone_ in video games engaged in a full scale, whole sale slaughter. Matt isn't sure which competitor he should root for.

Kurt gains the advantage as Jiggly Puff sends Falco flying, ending the match. Finn almost shrieks with emotions Matt can only assume to be a combination of pride and frustration. The suspicion is confirmed. "Kurt, you can play video games?" Finn asks, incredulously.

Kurt smiles smugly, "Yes. Dad and I used to play together. Why do you think there's a game cube in the DVD cabinet?" Finn is speechless.

Puck gives his darkest glare. "Damn, this sucks. We need to play a real man's game." The tall boy pulled out a pack of cards. "Did you boys bring any money?"

* * *

Mercedes thinks this is the first time she's heard Santana giggle. She has heard the Latina snicker, or chortle. Both are cruel laughter. But, this is the first time Mercedes has heard her laugh in a way that suggests amusement or happiness. Its well after dinner, and a romantic comedy is on in the background. But, the girls aren't really watching the movie. Instead, they're sitting in a circle around the coffee table holding cups and cans. Tina's parents said no alcohol, but they hadn't forbidden drinking games. So, root beer and water cups came out when Brittany suggested a game of "Never have I ever." Mercedes supposes they could play with matches or fingers, but its so much more fun with drinks.

Mercedes notices everyone looking at her expectantly. "Umm… Never have I ever… Never have I ever wanted to fill a role played by Barbara Streisand." She offers. She knows its lame, but she wants to get Rachel. Mercedes is surprised when Tina drinks, too.

"What?" Santana asks, looking at the Asian. "Spill!"

Tina's pale face flushes. "You know in _Meet the Fockers_, how she's a sex therapist married to Dustin Hoffman?" She asks the group. Only Rachel looks clueless. Apparently she doesn't sink to crass comedy. "Well… when I'm old, I want to be the half-Korean half non-religious Jewish version of her."

Santana laughs, then. "You want to be a sex therapist?" She howls. Tina nods, still pink. Santana has to take a sip of her water to calm her laughter before the game can continue.

It's Brittany's turn. So far, the blond has not provided anything particularly interesting in Mercedes' opinion. So, when she drops a bombshell on her next turn, Mercedes is a little bit surprised. "Never have I ever had sex with a boy," Brittany says exactly.

"B, you mean you've never had sex with a girl," Santana says quietly. "You just have your genders confused."

Brittany looks confused now. "No, never have I ever had sex with a boy. Cedes said that this time you had to say something you _haven't done_. And, I haven't have sex with a boy."

Santana glares at her fellow Cheerio, but takes a swig of her Diet Coke. Mr. Chang has temporarily lifted his ban of corn and artificial sweeteners to allow the girls soda for the evening. Quinn sips her water daintily. Rachel picks up her glass, puts it down again, picks it up, puts it down.

"You have to be honest, Berry," Santana tells Rachel. This doesn't stop her waffling.

"I don't know if I had sex!" Rachel cries. "I mean, we were –"

"We don't need the details, Rach." Tina interjects quickly. She thinks that if she has to hear about doopy Finn Hudson or that slimy traitor, Jesse St James, she'll be sick. And, her parents are upstairs.

Rachel doesn't drink.

"Oh! I've got a really good one!" Brittany says, suddenly. Even though they're supposed to take turns, Brittany is excited. She knows she hasn't had any alcohol or vitamin D, but she still feels happy. The other girls look at each other with that expression everyone wears when Brittany is involved, and let her talk. "Never have I ever gotten an A."

Santana drinks. Brittany knows she's always getting A's on her homework. Rachel drinks. Quinn drinks. Mercedes drinks. Tina drinks. Brittany looks pleased with herself.

Rachel is quick to claim her turn before Brittany can go a third time. "Never have I ever," she announces in her most theatrical voice, "gotten drunk."

Quinn studies the brunette quietly. "Define drunk," she demands. Mercedes wonders if she's thinking back to her own experience with alcohol.

"You know, intoxicated," Rachel says, vaguely.

"Drunk, drunk, or tipsy?" Santana demands, somewhat aggressively. Brittany doesn't care, she's done it all. She takes a big swallow.

"Drunk, drunk," Rachel decides. Mercedes thinks about drinking. There was that time with her brother, and the wine cooler. But, she still had all her faculties, hadn't she?

Quinn too considers. She was drunk enough that she trusted Noah Puckerman on protection. How was she supposed to know that "Trust me" was not a sensible system of contraception. No one had ever bothered to teach her anything other than not to drink or have sex… not that they modeled the behavior they recommended. She decides that she was not drunk, just stupid.

Santana drinks, long and hard.

Tina looks frightened, until her mom comes into the room. "Tee, I need to see you in the kitchen," she tells her daughter quietly. When Tina comes back, the other girls have are playing Apples to Apples. Tina chuckles when Rachel carefully selects, "My ex-boyfriend" for the category of small. She wonders which one qualifies.


	25. Chapter 25

_Hot off the presses… in the I just finished this a few seconds ago sense. Hope you enjoy_. _More to come soon. C65._

An electronic version of Dropkick Murphy's "I'm Shipping out to Boston" echoes through the silent room. Tina presses the snooze button on her cell phone, and rolls over to go back to sleep. She knows that its Saturday, and its about seven AM, but she's otherwise disoriented. She's wrapped in a blanket her Grandmother Cohen sent from New York University, and she's surrounded by prone forms.

Tina's mother kneels beside her, and shakes her daughter's shoulder. Worry fills her voice as she reminds her daughter that she's supposed to take her long acting shot at six fifteen. It's getting close to seven thirty, and Ms. Cohen isn't sure she wants to inject her daughter. She isn't as brave as her husband. Even though it's a kindness, Tina's mother isn't ready to stick needles into her daughter.

Next to Tina, Mercedes starts stirring. "What time is it, Ms. C?" She asks. When Tina's mother tells her, Mercedes goes into full diva mode. She wakes the other girls quickly and gently, coaxing even the confused Brittany and grumpy Tina from their warm beds. Mrs. Cohen thinks that Mercedes is a morning person. It's a lie, though. Mercedes is a people person, any time of the day or night. She seems to run on contact with other people.

Tina wonders why everyone is waking up so early. Its Saturday morning. They don't need to be awake for anything at seven am. She wonders who in their right minds wakes up this early anyway. Well, Rachel Berry has frequently told Tina of her habit of rising well before the sun, but Tina isn't sure Rachel Berry is in her right mind anyway. The girls were talking and giggling late into the night. Tina's parents came down to shush them a few times, even going so far as to threaten to send everyone home if silence wasn't achieved by two.

Tina watches her friends. They've had barely four hours of sleep (talking continued well after the two o'clock bedtime), but none of them are complaining. Instead, Santana is efficiently rolling up sleeping bags. Brittany collects pillows and folds blankets. Quinn has disappeared into the small powder room down the hall. Rachel stretches. Tina reflects that a human body should not be able to bend that way. Mercedes has disappeared, too. Tina wonders where her friend has gone.

Persistent nagging, and the beginnings of thirst drive Tina into the kitchen. Part of her wonders why what would happen if she just refused to take the injections. She doesn't give into the fantasy, though. Tina carefully measures out a dosage of long acting insulin. She emerges a few minutes later, a tiny droplet of scarlet on the sleeve of the white t-shirt she wears to sleep in. The drop spreads a little, and darkens. Tina hopes no one sees it. And, as far as she knows, no one does.

While Tina is gone, Mercedes brings out the bag she packed with the shirts she and Kurt created. "Every one have their jeans and converses?" She asks as she hands out T-shirts.

Brittany raises her hand. "I lost mine," she says in the same matter of fact way she had told Santana she lost her wheelchair.

Santana smiles. "That's okay, B. I packed yours." She reaches into her large overnight bag and produces two pairs of identical black sneakers. The girls dress quickly, and pull sweatshirts and jackets on over the shirts Mercedes has brought. They want the entire thing to be a surprise. Then, they ambush Tina and her parents in the kitchen, demanding breakfast.


	26. Chapter 26

_A/N: I'm headed out of town for a few days, but I should be able to update again on Monday. Thanks to everyone who has kept up with the story, despite my absence. I hope I won't have any more computer problems.

* * *

_

Kurt smacks Finn's stray hand away from the iPod in his cup holder. "I need my warm up sound track," Kurt tells his almost step-brother. "Its too early for rock music." Kurt turns up the volume on his music. Finn meets Puck's eyes in the rear view mirror, and they look skyward in unison. Puck and Finn can agree that _Kiss Me Kate_ is not morning music.

* * *

"Goram surprise," Matt mutters in the back seat. "Its too hot for jackets."

Artie glances back, a strange grin splitting his face. "Goram?" He asks, his eyebrows raised.

Matt just smiles, and produces a CD. "Would you mind, Mr. Abrams?" He asks. Artie's family lives half an hour away from the park they're visiting.

Mr. Abrams shrugs. He has resigned himself to the variety of music which passes through his CD player. Artie and Tina are always exchanging mix CD's with everything from the Beatles to classical guitar compositions to Indie. Tina had recently discovered a group called Nightwish, a group of music students who got together into a weird sort of classical goth band. Kurt likes show tunes, and Mercedes has a bit of a jazz obsession, in addition to her love of R & B. His older daughter, Becca, has just recently discovered Queen, and the dulcet tones of Freddy Mercury echo through the house and van. For some reason, her older brother has started wincing every time "Bohemian Rhapsody" comes on.

Never the less, Mr. Abrams is surprised when the bubbly music starts. He's even more surprised when all three boys start singing along. Mr. Abrams did not think anyone could write a song about washing clothes. Who rhymes "Underthings tumbling" with "Mumbling"?

* * *

Tina looks around the back of her mother's Prius. She wonders why everyone is wearing jackets. Mercedes has her zebra zip up, the one Kurt has threatened to burn along with Artie's Mario-inspired sweater vest and Tina's entire collection of purple. fishnet hand warmers. Rachel is wearing a black embroidered Les Mis hoodie. Tina isn't sure she's ever seen Rachel in anything but a cardigan. Quinn, in a buttery yellow cardigan buttoned to the neck, and her two former Cheerio hench women, in their red McKinley high letterman's jackets drove in her silver sports car.

* * *

"Santany, can I have a balloon," Brittany asks the Latina girl.

Santana sighs with exasperations. She loves Brittany, on so many levels. But, sometimes, she wishes they could have a conversation about something other than balloons, ducks, and where B left her things. Santana secretly wants to talk about something complicated. Sports would be nice. Politics would be lovely. San would even settle for discussing something like a soap opera. Really, anything other than butterflies and rainbows. But, B is so sweet, and innocent. She is everything Santana isn't. And, San will do anything she can to protect hat innocence, even if it means being annoyed.

"Sure, B," she says, leaning forward in the seat to pat Brittany's arm. Then, she sees why her friend is asking. Looking through the windshield, she can see what Brittany has noticed. A giant balloon arch stretches across the entrance to the park.

* * *

Mr. Shue leans against Emma Pillsbury's car and smiles. The little lime green VW is, like everything else the councilor owns, immaculate. They both wear the red shirts which Mercedes had given them. Will thinks Emma looks quite nice in her little red cardigan, and the black flats Kurt had requested. Will, for his part, wears a tight, faded red tee.

Emma can't help but notice how sexy it looks with his tousled sandy hair and plump lips. She wants so badly to lean over and kiss him. But, she holds herself stiff and keeps to her resolve. She will not kiss Will Shuester. She will not kiss Will Shuester. She will not kill Will Shuester. Will is dirty.

* * *

Tina is surprised when Artie wheels over to the Prius, accompanied by Matt and Mike. She is even more surprised when they all walk off without talking to her. Artie is wearing his god-awful blue sky sweater vest, and Matt and Mike both have on their letterman's jackets. Tina isn't sure why everyone is wearing jackets. She just isn't that cold. And, Artie is always warm, even in the winter. He's always smiling when she suggest he might need a coat in the snow, and telling her, "Woman, I'm just that hot."

Mercedes walks over to the registration table while everyone else is getting out of the cars. She and Artie collected pledge packets the night before. They join the line, Mercedes and Artie arguing quietly about music while they wait. Deep in discussion about whether or not the "Across the Universe" soundtrack is an acceptable cover of the Beatles, Artie and Mercedes barely notice when they reach the front of the line.

"Next!" A tired looking girl in a blue volunteer t-shirt yells. Her long hair held in spiky little buns behind her ears. Mercedes and Artie start, and approach the table. "Team name?" The volunteer asks.

Kurt smiles as Mr. Shue and Miss Pillsbury get close. He and Mercedes have been taking bets on how long before the two teachers get together. He may be getting that new jacket after all. Once they were all assembled, except for Mercedes and Artie, he motioned to his teammates. As one, they turned their backs to Tina. In a strange way, it reminds Tina of one of the Journey numbers from Glee. The jackets, sweatshirts and sweaters came off in a single motion.

"Won't Stop Believin' in a Cure" is printed across the back of every single red shirt in a stylized script. Tina feels her eyes tear up.


	27. Chapter 27

An adorably small boy with blond hair and blue eyes carefully cuts the ribbon across the beginning of the walk route. New Directions joins the throngs of people in different colored shirts streaming through the balloon arcade. Artie notices that Brittany reaches up and tries to steal one of the brightly colored orbs, but Santana whispers something in her ear and they lock pinkies.

Continuing along the route, the Glee clubbers spread out. Mr. Shue and Miss Pillsbury walk together, talking quietly. Rachel has her elbow locked in Finn's, and appears to be monolouging into his ear. Artie is glad they are about thirty yards ahead of him, he shutters slightly to think about what was being said. Rachel drives Artie crazy. He admires Finn and Jesse for their ability to handle Rachel, although maybe they're more passive that Artie is. He's pretty convinced that Tina doesn't have him whipped quiet as badly as Rachel has done to Finn. Artie does make a point to ignore Mercedes comments congratulating Tina on her hard work in taming him.

Puck and Mike are arguing quietly about pro football. They're walk behind Rachel and Finn, but still ahead of Artie, Tina and Matt. Artie has never understood the fascination with professional football. He loves watching hockey and soccer, especially going to live games. One of his older cousins took him to a college game while he was visiting. Each seat came with a card filled with insults for heckling the opposing team's goalie. Artie, his cousins, and her friends who called themselves the Goon Squad, made life difficult for the goalie. Artie wishes to go to the small school his cousin attends, just so he can go to hockey games for free.

Brittany and Santana meader along, pinkies linked. For the expression on San's face, Artie can tell that Brit is the one steering the path and the conversation. From the way she's pointing and smiling, Artie can tell that she's excited about the ducks swimming in the pond along the path. Artie knows that Brittany has a pet duck, but he's isn't sure why she has such an obsession with water fowl. They kind of creep him out.

Mercedes and Kurt are in the clump of walkers just ahead of Artie and Tina. He has no doubt that they're talking fashion, from the way Kurt points, and Mercedes responds. Artie wonders if they're planning Glee club costumes, or just criticizing the t-shirts worn by the rest of the walk teams. He has noticed that Kurt is still refusing to wear t-shirts, wearing the red tuxedo shirt from the first time the club sang Don't Stop Believing. Actually, he's back in his Don't Stop Believeing clothes as well. Only Tina's outfit has changed, the October weather being too brisk for a tank top.

Thinking about his girlfriend, Artie turns to study her. She looks healthy, he's noticed. A few nights ago, when they were cuddling, she confessed that she was glad her hair had stopped falling out. Apparently in the month following her diagnosis, it had come out in clumps. Her face is no longer hollow, and her checks have a healthy pink glow. But, Artie has noticed a sadness in Tina's brown eyes. It's a world weariness that he sometimes sees in his mother. It scares him.

"What do you think about the sequel?" Matt asks, and Artie starts.

"What sequel?" He asks, quietly.

Matt rolls his eyes. "The Dr. Horrible sequel," He says quietly. Even when he's shouting, Matt is quiet.

Artie laughs. "Oh, God, I hope there is one," he tells his friend.

An older girl in a blue volunteer T-shirt walking nearby looks up. "Have you seen Eight Bit Dr. Horrible?" She asks, her blue eyes sparkling. She tucks stray whisps of hair behind her ears, and squeezes her buns absent-mindedly.

Matt looks delighted. "Eight-bit Dr. Horrible?" He asks.

"It looks like an old school video game," The older girls tells him. "Make sure you go to the original sight, not the youtube, though. I'm Robin, by the way," She introduced herself.

The three Glee clubbers introduced themselves. Matt and Robin fell into a deep discussion of Dr. Horrible, which quickly because a conversation about The Guild, a web show Artie doesn't know. Artie and Tina start playing a game they frequently enjoy: Would you Rather? The game lasts them through two of the walk's hydration stations.

They're in a sunny patch of the road, three or four miles into the walk. Tina declares that she would rather be a rhinoceros than a triceratops, because rhinos are still alive. Robin, the older girl walking with Mike, slows and stumbles. Artie watches as she sits by the side of the path, and pulls out a familiar small back kit from her bag. Seconds later, she's swearing around the pinky sticking out of her mouth. The brunette stumbles to her feet, and fishes again in the maroon bag she wears slung across her body. She swears again, and turns to Matt. When he shakes his head, she slows to wait for Artie and Tina.

"I'm embarrassed to even have to ask this," she says, "but do either of you have anything for a low?"

Tina pats her pockets and shakes her head. She has a dollar, which she carries as a talisman against the experience, but a dollar doesn't do well in the middle of the woods. Artie asks her to take over, and fishes in his backpack.

"Blue, white or green airhead?" He asks Robin.

She colors slightly. "Can I have white and green?" She asks. "I'm, umm, kind of 32."

Artie realizes that a few months ago, he would have been baffled by the exchange. Robin doesn't look old enough to be thirty two. He's maybe give her twenty, twenty five. Now, he knows that a normal blood sugar for a diabetic should be around a hundred. Thirty two is low enough that people start fainting and seizing.

"How do you get that low without noticing?" Tina asks, a little sharply. She's kind of curious about her future.

Robin pulls open an airhead package and eats the candy in two bites. "You're diabetic for almost eleven years," she offers, "and you mostly go low at night."

Artie catches up to Mike. Tina and the older girl start talking shop, Robin a little loud and inappropriate.


	28. Chapter 28

_A/N: This chapter is dedicated to Flopsy Ollie who requested a conclusion to the walk sequence and has been commenting on pretty much every chapter. Thank you! Also, I'm sorry that this is a short chapter… I've got a little bit of writer's block right now and I have about two hours of homework tonight. So, I will aim for more tomorrow, I promise.

* * *

_

"I'm glad this isn't a race, because we'd be the losers," Quinn says to Mercedes as they saunter into the park.

Mercedes grins. "I think some of us might already be." She nods toward Puck and Finn who are having a contest to see who can eat more hot dogs.

Quinn shakes her head with a laugh. "I can't believe those guys sometimes! Sometimes, I think they're six instead of sixteen."

"My dad always says that growing old is unavoidable, but growing up is optional," Mercedes jokes to her friend."

"What's unavoidable?" Mike asks, walking up between the girls and slinging either long arm over both shoulders. He's one of Quinn's favorite football players. Mike Chang is quiet, not because he doesn't have anything to say, but because he's shy. Quinn remembers how Karofsky used to tease Mike when they were in elementary school. The dancer used to act in community theater productions. Quinn remembers going to see the Sound of Music at Lima Community Theater in fifth grade. She was unsurprised to see Rachel Berry acting as Louisa, but was enchanted by Mike Chang's portrayal of Kurt. Karofsky saw the production as well, and teased Mike shamelessly about his role in the play, and the eyeliner he had trouble removing before a Saturday baseball game. Quinn remembers going to other Lima Community Theater productions during middle school, but she never saw Mike Chang act again.

"Growing Old," Quinn tells him.

"Finn and Puck eating like pigs," Mercedes says at the same time.

Mike looks in the direction of his Gleemates. "There's free food?" He asks, excitement creasing his face. "Wait, there's free ice cream?"

Mercedes rolls her eyes. "I think its Fro-Yo," she says quietly. She and Mike make a bee-line to join the group of small children already surrounding the

Quinn sees the ice cream cart in wonderment. She never would have expected to see something so sweet at an event for diabetics. She remembers what Tina said, about being able to eat normally, but sometimes she still wonders. When Quinn was living with the Puckermans, Noah's mother would often glare at her when she ate something sweet. "You're going to get diabetes," she would tell Quinn. Quinn always wonders if she had suffered complications during her pregnancy with Puck's younger sister. But, none of the Puckermans are very forthcoming about what happened eight years ago.

Artie rolls in with Matt, Tina, and an older girl a short while later. Quinn's mouth is full of hot dog, but she waves. She would deny it if anyone found out, but the thing Quinn missed most when she was dieting for Miss Sylverster were hot dogs. They're her guilty pleasure.

"Hey!" Mercedes waves the group over. They're the last Gleeks to arrive. Quinn was surprised when Kurt and Rachel arrived together, bickering loudly about Wicked. Kurt apparently thinks a true fan has read all three of the McGuire books, while Rachel argued verbosely that true Wicked fandom involves following the show. Mr. Shue sits with the group, talking with Mr. Chang. Quinn notes that Miss Pillsbury has already left. The picnic tables were too weathered and dirty for her tastes.

Matt and Artie immediately join the line for the grill table, and load up their plates. Quinn wonders if teenage boys have a sixth sense that allows them to detect food. She lives in calorie envy of her male friends. Tina searches the crowd for her mother, and walks quickly to join Mrs. Cohen. They disappear over to the family's car before Tina rejoins the food line, and her mother goes back to pursing vendor booths. The strange dark haired girl goes and collects a plate, taking a hot dog without a bun.

With everyone returned, teams are invited to have their pictures taken by a local photographer. New Directions hams it up. Mike poses in an amazing dance move. Matt and Finn twirls. Santana and Kurt team up again Puck. Artie, Tina, Mercedes and Quinn hug in the front of the group. Finn is eating his fifth hot dog. Rachel stands in her classic yearbook pose, a smile plastered on her face. Even Mr. Shue joins the group, standing in the back and giving Finn bunny ears.

Tina's mother snaps photos with a digital camera, which she will send out to the rest of New Directions after the walk. Quinn, who uses a her pictures a screensaver, will smile whenever the walk picture appears.


	29. Chapter 29

_A/N: So, I though this might be too early. I feel like I need a chapter to finish the walk. I'll add it in if you think its missing. Let me know in the comments. More from me at the end…

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_

Tina and her mother meet with Robin a little over a week after the walk. They meet in a small, dingy café. Ms. Cohen looks dubious as she follows her daughter into the dive. Its about three o'clock in the afternoon, and the restaurant is mostly empty. A few old men sit together discussing farm implements. A pair of tourists dressed in shorts and carrying fanny packs sit together. Tina quickly picks out the dark haired girl in a white sweater sitting alone, stirring a white cup with a spoon absentmindedly as she reads.

Tina leads her mother over to the booth, and made the necessary introductions. She is a little surprised when her mother introduces herself as Liz, but didn't say anything. Robin seems unsure of how to respond to Ms. "Liz" Cohen's offer, and seems to avoid calling the woman by name. She is more comfortable with Tina than she did with her mother.

"So, how long have you been doing this?" Tina's mother asks.

"Which part?" Robin responds, a laugh in her voice. "I've been diabetic since I was ten. My mom used to take me to support groups and meetings about as long. This is my first time doing this on my own, though. What about you?"

A month," Tina mumbles. "One of the worst months of my life."

Liz glances at her daughter. "Really, honey? I thought that was last year, when you and Artie…" Tina flushes pink, and mutters something at her mother.

Robin ignores Liz's indiscretion. "It gets better," she says, a note of exhaustion filling her voice. "You can anything … except drive a semi truck. Because they don't let you drive semi trucks if you're on insulin…" She takes a quick sip of from her mug, then reaches for the honey bear again.

"Really?" Tina asks.

As Liz, ever the mother questions Robin at the same time."Should you be doing that?"

The older girl shrugs. "Yes and yes. I don't do artificial sweeteners. But, my diabetes hasn't stopped me from doing much."

"What do you mean?" Liz asks.

Robin's cheeks tinge pink. "Well, I've biked around northern Michigan, done service work in a developing country, and spent four months in Europe. Those are kind of the highlights." Liz raises her eyebrows at the older girl. "I got lucky!" She exclaimed quickly. "And, my parents are pretty trusting. But, it helps that I have a pump."

"What's a pump?" Tina asks. While she's happy to do research for Artie, she's been to afraid to learn about her own disease. Most of the literature she reads talks about the complications. She doesn't want to think about _more_ things that can wrong in her body.

Robin stands up slightly, and pulls a small object out of her back pocket. "This is a pump," she explains. Tina studies the object. She might have mistaken it for a cheap mp3 player with a single headphone attachment if Robin hadn't explained it. Its clear dark blue, and a bit of the electronic underpinnings show through. The front was slightly scratched, but it featured a large screen the time, an pointed icon with three bars, and something that was clearly the battery. Below the screen were three round buttons, and on the side were arrows.

"It delivers insulin every few minutes according to an hourly rate my doctor and I set," Robin tells Tina. "Its like taking a dose of long acting insulin, but I can tailor . Last year, I used to go low between three and five in the morning. So, I set the hourly dosage to compensate. Then, when I eat, or my blood sugar magically ends up high, I can take a quick shot that brings it down."

Tina studies the little box. "So, you don't have to take shots anymore?"

Robin grins. "I think I've maybe taken four or five shots in the past year, and one of those was my tetanus booster. But, I have to put in an infusion set." Robin lifted her shirt, showing a pale stomach with small scars, a few still red scabs, and a large white band aid. A white circle on the bandage was connected to a long tube on one side.

Tina reached out to touch it, then drew her hand back. "Does it hurt?"

Robin smiles a tired smile. She's probably heard this question before. "Honestly? Not usually. Sometimes, it hurts going in if I hit a scar. And, I've gotten infections and allergic reactions before, which hurt as well. But, its just a thin plastic tube under my skin."

Liz, ever the lawyer, makes notes. "What happens if it breaks?" She asks.

Robin winces. "That's three of the shots I took."

"And the last one?" Liz prompts.

"Ketones," Robin says quietly. "Because I don't have any long acting insulin, if my pump runs out of insulin, or it goes bad in the pump, I get ketones fast." Tina remembers her days in the hospital, and how awful she had felt. She's not sure she's willing to risk that again, even for convenience.

"Are there any other downsides?" Liza asks, preparing for bad news.

Robin shrugs. "Cost," she admits, "But its covered by insurance. And, I still have to test, so I have to carry a bag with a test kit and extra stuff. I get low," She glances at Tina, who laughs. "I occasionally go high. Sometimes buying and wearing clothes can be a challenge, 'cause you have to figure out where to put the pump. But, I wouldn't trade my pump for the world."

Tina, her mother, and Robin move on to other topics. The Cohens-Changs are surprised to find how well they get along with the young graduate student. Before they leave, Robin gives Tina her phone number, in case Tina needs to talk, or anything.

On the way out the door Tina leans over and asks Robin, who has admitted to carrying sugar in her purse everywhere what happened before the walk.

Robin looked shifty eyed. "I, umm, forgot how low drinking makes me." She says in an undertone. Tina doesn't let her mother hear.

* * *

_A/N: Okay, I'm trying to make Robin real. She is my personification in the story, again based on my own experiences. I have plans for the character… with a few more chapters left. If there are questions you want answered, feel free to ask them in the comments section. Thanks to everyone who's been reading and reviewing! I love it when they come in._


	30. Chapter 30

Artie watches his girlfriend nervously as they enter the large ballroom. He adjusts his bow tie, and she straightens her fluffy black skirt. Tina leans down to stick the printed paper name tag, reading "Hello, my name is ARTIE," to his chest as he enjoys the view of hers. Artie can't help himself, as he feels blood rushing toward his stomach. When she's healthy, Tina is just hot.

Mercedes glances back at the two of them, and shakes her head. She links arms with Kurt. "I can't believe we let them dress themselves," the fashionable soprano whispers in her ear. "I mean, who wears a bow tie, suspenders and a piano key belt?" Mercedes shrugs.

Tina looks overwhelmed as she and Artie enter the ballroom. He reaches out, and takes her hand. The contact seems to comfort his friend. Artie knows that Tina dislikes crowds, and strangers. After all, she faked a stutter, which had lasted for several years, just to get out of public speaking. Artie shutters a bit, remembering Tina's confession last year. Their date had been going so well. He's just whooped her in wheelchair races. She had kissed him. And then, she confessed she had been faking her stutter. The confession still hurts him, a little bit.

Tina moves behind Artie as they entered the ballroom crowded with tables. He wishes they could continue walking together while holding hands. Artie loves the feeling of Tina's soft skin under his fingers. But, the space between the tables is barely wide enough for his wheelchair to pass comfortably, especially since the ballroom is already half full of people sitting. So, Artie lets his girlfriend push his chair.

Artie feels his chair slow, and twists to see Tina waving at the girl from the walk.e Tina heads over to the large circular table where Robin is sitting. Artie notices that the older girl is uncomfortable meeting his eyes. Kurt and Mercedes follow their lead. Kurt's clear plastic raincoat has been carefully hung on the coat rack. Robin's black trench drags on the floor, hanging off the back of her chair.

A college student moonlighting as a banquet waiter hurries over to remove a chair from the table for Artie. He wheels himself into place, and grins at Tina as she settles herself. Tina tucks her hair behind her ear, revealing a streak of bright pink.

Robin leans in, admiring Tina's locks. "How long have you had pink hair?"

Tina smiles, but Kurt answers. "She's been ruining her hair like that since eighth grade. Pink is just the latest in the series of unnatural colors."

"I like your hair!" Artie defends Tina, leaning over to kiss her neck. He loves the tropical shampoo she uses. It reminds him of being on vacation.

"I've always wanted to color my hair," Robin said, jealously.

Kurt studies the girl's long locks. "Why? Your hair is so healthy," he says. "The style is a little out of date, but its beautiful." Robin's hand moves to the loose bun at the nape of her neck. Little spikes of hair swirl off the twist.

"As a rebellion," the older girl explains. "But, then I decided to into synthetic chemistry." She laughs. "My mom is a crunchy granola nut."

Tina smiles. "My dad, too," she says quietly.

The room quickly fills with people, and a man walks to the raised stage. Artie hadn't noticed the platform before, but now he recognizes that this award dinner will involve speeches. Artie's hatred of gratuitous speeches has only increased since he met Rachel Berry. He might be less bored doing physics homework. But, physics homework didn't come with free food. And, Artie has learned never to turn down free food.

"Please, feel free to get a plate," the man urges. "Our program will start in a few minutes."

The last few stragglers move into the ballroom, and Artie suddenly spots someone he had never expected to see. "Oh, God," he whispers to Mercedes, who is sitting on his other side. "Rachel Berry sighting at eight o'clock."

Mercedes twists in her seat to see the sweater clad Rachel dragging Finn in toe. Kurt rolls his eyes at his almost step brother. "Oh, Lord, Frankenteen has managed to find a tie," he whispers. "Of course, it would be one of Dad's. For the love of Gaga, Dad is about a foot shorter than Finn!"

Finn's sights fall upon his fellow Gleeks, until he twists in Rachel's grasp, and sees the table behind the door. Artie realizes there must be food outside, possibly a buffet, because Finn virtually drags Rachel back out of the ballroom. Finn is only assertive when food is involved, or his best friend has impregnated his girlfriend, then tricked him into believing that the child is his.

Artie and Kurt look at each other. They might not be Finn Hudson, but they're still teenage boys. "Excuse us, Ladies," Artie says. He can tell by Robin's frown that she thinks he's being a creeper. He doesn't care, though. He's just being himself. Tina might be enamored with the older girl, but something about her rubs him the wrong way.

As the boys make their exit, Artie hears Mercedes interviewing Robin. Thank goodness he isn't the only protective Gleek. The older girl must pass 'Cedes' test, though, because he sees the girls making a beeline for the buffet table only shortly after he and Kurt return with laden plates.

* * *

_A/N: A scenario which has been bouncing around in my head for a while, although I was as surprised as you were when Rachel and Finn arrived. Okay, maybe you weren't so surprised… Also, I apologize if the chapters aren't up to snuff. I'm back in school, and that means I'm dividing my time between writing Fanfic and writing lab reports… guess which is more fun._


	31. Chapter 31

_A/N: I have about 4 – 6 chapters left. But, I need feedback. So, happy ending or sad one? Also… Chicken on a stick? Pretty much amazing!  


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_

Rachel watches Finn inhale is fifth skewer of Chicken Satay. She shutters a bit. Rachel will NOT kiss Finn after this, until he has brushed his teeth a few times. She's not one of those vegans who will make out with a carnivorous boyfriend after he eats meat. She might get some in her mouth. She has principles. Rachel's plate is almost empty. She has a few vegetables, but no dressing since the banquet house only provided ranch, which everyone knows contains dairy. And, Rachel finds the idea of consuming milk a little repulsive. Humans are the only animals she knows of who consume other animal's lactation after they're adults…

She notices that she isn't the only one without food. Tina's friend doesn't have much on her plate, either. There is a skewer of the chicken, and a few carrots with hummus. Rachel is a little jealous of the girl's genius. Hummus would be a good source of protein.

A man walks to the podium to start the award ceremony, and the thoughts of food fly out of Rachel's mind. Rachel knows she'll get an award. She checked the online requirements for a fund raising award. Rachel always goes above and beyond.

They've not sure how to respond to the video and the information. Mercedes has trouble keeping awake. She's humming an glee club under her breath. Kurt and Rachel are zoning in and out on the information. Finn is off in his own world, but there is nothing abnormal about that. Tina tries to focus, Artie pays attention. Robin looks bored, and a bit uncomfortable. Artie doesn't understand her expression, he thinks the work is so hopeful.

As they leave, Tina is staring a the small plaque in her hand. Kurt and Mercedes carry their trophy for the best family team shirt. All the Gleeks, even Rachel are in shock. They're both afraid an hopeful. Only Robin looks frustrated. She lags behind the group as they walk out, so Artie lags behind.

"What's wrong?" He asks, quiet. If there is something awful, he doesn't want Tina to know. She's been through enough, but she still has some innocence. Artie feels like he's been carrying his own pain for so long, he had has innocence shattered a long time ago. He needs to protect Tina.

Robin shrugs. "I'm just sick of the bull," she says. Artie raises his eyebrows. He thought the information had been hopeful. "I've had this disease for eleven years, and almost nothing has changed. Every year, they make promises. But, nothing changes."

"What do you mean?" Artie asks.

"Did you hear them talk about the Edmonton protocol?" Robin questions.

Artie shakes his head. "Integrative glucose monitors, artificial pancreases, stimulating cellular growth, preventing complications," he lists off the topics that had been mentioned. "But, I've never heard of that."

"Eight or nine years ago, it was headline research. They promised it would cure diabetes. Now, almost everyone involved is back to where they started. Its hard to get hope, and then have it taken away, again. So, you'll excuse me if I'm a little critical." Artie nods. He thinks back to Brian Ryan's visit to McKinley, and his own dream of dancing. He had believed that he would walk again, as soon as he got into the clinical trials Tina had described. And, not only would he walk, he would dance. Then, reality had come and kicked his butt.

"What about the CGM?" He suggests. Artie knows that Tina and her parents are working on getting an insulin pump and a constant glucose moniter, which would moniter her blood sugar twenty four hours a day.

Robin's laughter is bitter. "Sometimes, even when the technology exists, you still can't get it." Artie sees Tina turn at the noise. He knows that there's more behind the bitterness, but he doesn't ask now. He'll ask later, when there's no chance of Tina hearing.

Instead, he says goodnight to the older girl, and heads off to join Kurt and Mercedes in the Navigator. He kisses his girlfriend gently, as they cuddle in the backseat.

"Hey!" Kurt complains, pulling out of the parking lot. "I'm trying to drive here!"


	32. Chapter 32

Artie looks at his girlfriend, and can't help the smile that covers his face. Tina's million-watt smile glows, and it makes Artie happy. She leans against him, and his arm snakes around her slender waist. His hand rests just above her hip bone, and he can feel a small, domed circle under his fingers. Her plaid skirt sags a little bit under the weight of the small plastic device clipped there. Artie loves the inch of pale skin between the dark plaid of the skirt and the black of the tight skirt. The sight of the hollow next to Tina's hip bone turns Artie on.

Tina got her insulin pump hooked up only a few hours ago. Artie remembers the call when she received the big box from the pump manufacturer. She practically shrieked into the phone, and he pictured her bouncing on the big couch in her living room. Tina loves to jump on furniture. She has admitted more than once that when she was little, her Grandmother Cohen bought her a little trampoline to stop her from jumping on her bed.

It took a few days to get an appointment with the appropriate people, but Tina has finally gotten herself hooked up. "What do you want to eat?" Artie asks Tina.

"Hmm," She pretended to think for a minute. "I don't know. How about India Garden? They still have their lunch buffet for another few hours." Artie hopes she's teasing. He doesn't like buffets, much. They're hard to maneuver, and often end with food in his lap. And, Indian may be the only ethnic food that Artie won't eat. He doesn't know what rubs him wrong about it, but he just doesn't like it.

"Indian?" Artie questions. "What about Pizza?" He knows how much Tina has missed pizza. "There's that place that does New York Style by the slice." Artie didn't think that Tina's smile could get any wider or brighter, but it does.

Tina and Artie polish off a medium pie between the two of them, Tina happily entering a dosage into her pump and listening to the chirps. Artie thinks its music to his ears.

The two of them continue the festivities back at Artie's house. It's the first time Tina has seen Artie's bedroom. Mr. and Mrs. Abrams are strict about the family's bedrooms remaining private. Tina wonders if Artie is embarrassed about what may or may not be behind the door. Now, she'll get to see.

Tina's biggest surprise is how clean Artie's room is. Kurt's sense of fashion means his clothes are frequently draped on various surfaces. Finn's recent presence has done nothing to improve the space. Mercedes, too has an eclectic sense of style. And, Tina has never exactly been what you'd call tidy. Her parents still tease her about the floor being the biggest shelf in the room.

She suppose that it makes sense for Artie's floor to be devoid of clothing. A stray sock could get tangled in his wheels. But, she marvels at the neatly stacked books, and pens all in their cup. Tina doesn't have much time to study the room, because before she knows it, Artie is up on his bed. He pats the spot beside him, and she slithers up next to him.

Artie's hands snake around her waist again, and he nuzzles her neck. The warm body against her back feels amazing.

"Tina?" Her strong, gentle, handsome boy whispers in her ear.

"Mmmhm?" She grunts, so relaxed that she feels like her whole body has gone liquid.

"I love you."

_A/N: Okay… I'm a romantic sop. But, the date makes me happy. We'll return to our regularly scheduled angst programming shortly._


	33. Chapter 33

Tina's feelings about her new pump change as sectionals draw closer. On the one hand, she's glad that her parents have finally agreed to allow her to travel to sectionals. On the other hand, the way her father is collecting materials for the upcoming event scares Tina slightly. If he thinks she needs a small cooler with long and short acting insulin, ten syringes, six infusion sets and batteries and a bottle of 50 glucose tablets for a single day's travel, who knows what he will do when she leaves for college?

Then, there is the costuming issue. Tina has always been comfortable in a variety of outfits. But, she has become leery of dresses lately. Her pump stands out when she clips it to her underwear. It doesn't help that they're so flimsy, its hard to support the weight. Tina tries putting the pump in her bra, but Kurt is less than satisfied. When she puts it on the side, he tells her she looks uneven. In the front, Kurt's response is memorable. "For the love of Gaga, you look like you've sprouted a third boob!" He complains.

Tina is to the point of leaving her pump off during the entire event, until Artie suggests that she call Robin. Tina knows the older girl has dealt with the issue, since her phone background alternates between a small black dog and a shot taken at a prom of wedding.

Tina dials nine of the ten digets before she hits the CANCEL button. She's nervous. She paces back and forth, gets up the nerve, and dials again. The phone rings, and Robin picks up. Tina paces back and forth, scratching absent mindedly at an infected infusion site. She pulled the catheter out yesterday when the skin nearby was bright red and covered in yellow-orange crystals. It smelled pretty bad, and now her side alternates between hurting and itching.

"Hello?" Robin answers the phone. "Who is this?"

Tina feels her cheeks color. "Umm, this is Tina," she says quietly.

"Hi, Tina," Robin greets her. "Sorry, I've had phone drama lately. I got a new phone and my contacts didn't transfer. Plus, my students found my cell, and they've been calling me at the weirdest times. If you're ever a TA, don't let it slip that you don't go to bed until three or four most mornings. Your students will take advantage of you. But, what's up with you?"

Tina laughs. "If its not too much imposition, I need some help," she tells the older girl. Tina explains the problem with costuming for Glee. The older girl offers to come, help her get ready. The only day that works for both their schedule is the morning of competition. Tina worries they might be cutting things close, but she trusts that Robin will make the meeting. The older girl has already expressed interest in seeing New Directions compete. Apparently, Rachel and Kurt's impromptu duet of "Popular" from Wicked at the award dinner was enough to convince Robin she wanted to see the group perform.

_A/N: The supplies described in the first paragraph as enough to last a bad week with a pump. For a day trip, a syringe, infusion set, battery and one bottle of short acting insulin kept below 70 F is sufficient. Also, I really want to hear Kurt sing popular, because that would be just be awesome. Ryan Murphy, if you're reading this in some weird, alternate universe, PLEASE, PLEASE, PLEASE make Kurt sing Popular. Thank you!_


	34. Chapter 34

_A/NL: The last chapter I posted has been really bothering me. I just don't think it flows with the story. The fact that it got no reviews suggested this as well. So… here is the conclusion to Skinny THANK YOU TO EVERYONE WHO HAS READ, REVIEWED, AND FOLLOWED! The story would not be what it is without you! I'm thinking about a few one shots. What I write will of course depend on inspiration, but would you prefer a character study of Puck or Matt next?

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_

Tina checks herself in the mirror one more time. Her hair is drawn back into an elegant chignon at the nape of her neck. Purple streaks stand out. She wears an elegant 50-styles black cocktail dress and a purple wrap. Her crazy uncle Mark sent her beautiful purple and black velvet heels from Greenwich village, and they arrived yesterday. They're perfect with her fishnet tights.

Of course, Tina debates wearing the fishnets. She is attaching her pump to her leg with a wide ace bandage, and it adheres better to her skin than to tights. For course, fishnets fall somewhere between the two, so she tries it. Tina is pleased to find that nothing moves as she bounds down the stairs to the ringing doorbell.

"Back up stairs! Back upstairs!" Her mom yells from the kitchen. "You have to make an entrance!" No one has ever said that Liz Cohen has no flair for the dramatic.

After Tina hears her father make his usual threatening speech, she glides down the stairs. Her mother, an ultra feminist, looses her female power tendencies when ever formal events come up. Then, chivalry and tradition rule the day. So, Tina glides.

The look on Artie's face is worth trying to glide in heels. Its worth the feeling of the fishnets cutting into her leg. It's worth enduring parental threats, prickly corsages, and the pop of flash bulbs.

Artie's blue eyes are wide and his lips part in a faint smile. Tina thinks the evil sexy grin is the most handsome thing about his suit. Artie has a black suit with a faint purple pinstripe, and he wears a black tie over a purple shirt. Tina is pretty sure the shirt belongs to Kurt, but maybe he just dragged Artie out shopping. Artie looks darn good in a black suit.

Tina's mother passes over a small purple clutch covered in black lace, and the car keys. Artie had wanted to rent a limo, but Tina wanted to drive. Artie swings into the passenger seat, and Tina puts the wheelchair into the back of the car. She tests, then waves the meter with the numbers displayed at her concerned parents, and pulls away. The meter thing has been a recent argument. The Cohen-Changs swore their daughter would not drive unless she tested before hand. Tina argued that her constant glucose monitor should count. But, today is her prom. So, she keeps the peace with her parents.

* * *

"Girl, you look beautiful!" Mercedes exclaims, squeezing Tina's arm. Mercedes looks wild in a green designer number. Kurt is equally fabulous in his suit and scarf. He and Mercedes have agreed to go together as friends because they love dancing with each other, and neither wanted to risk having a bad time at their senior prom. Plus, Figgin's hands were tied, but he couldn't sell a pair of tickets to Kurt to go with a boy, then protect him from the harassment the action might incur.

Only Finn and Rachel are missing from their party as the Steakhouse waitress leads them back to a table. Kurt _warned_ Finn that Rachel would be as over the top about prom as she was about everything else, but Finn went in woefully unprepared, as always. Kurt hopes his step brother will someday figure out how to handle is high maintenance partner. Then again, Kurt is a diva and high maintenance in his own right.

* * *

Tina is amazed at how well the gym at William McKinley is transformed into a magic fairy land. She and Artie dance facing each other. Artie is a little uncomfortable dancing in his chair, until Tina points out the couples around them. Karofsky is grinding against a cheerleader. Azimo Is shopping for food. Over Artie's head, Tina can see a couple who are more making out than dancing… unless dance moves are performed entirely with the tongue. Tina reminds Artie that he is a way better dancer than any of the other people.

Tina's only disappointment in the night comes in the form a low just before a slow song. She slides back to her purse, while Artie gets both of them punch. During the song, he takes Tina onto his lap. Suddenly, there are _two_ couples dancing with their mouths.

Artie watches his girlfriend. She is radiant, healthy, curvaceous. He loves her so much. But, just how much is a secret he'll keep for another few years. Then, he'll not only share it with Tina, the entire world will know.


End file.
